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In Memory of Our Lamented President, A Devoted Christian and Faithful 
Mem])er of American Patriotic Soci et Societies. j 



A PLEA FOR PATRIOTISM AND THE PROTESTANT RELfGICK 



The Devil in the Church 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED 



AND 



His Snares Laid to Destroy Our 
Public Schools 



A History of Romanism for Nineteen Hundred Years ; Its 

Opposition to Our Public School System and Effect 

Upon Our People and Government. 



t\^ 



'^• 



INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF PRIESTLY MISRUL? IN THc PHILIPPINE 
ISLANDS AS MADE PUBLIC BY THE U. S. GOVERNMENT. 



The Wide Difference Between the Popish Religion and Christianity. 



COPYRIGHTED 1902. 



AMERICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY, 

Patriotic and popular books and bibles, 
Beaver Springs, Pa. 



'^^JtWi "^ ^ ^ 



HE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

vo Cop.fcs Heceiveo 

CT. IS 1902 

COPVRIOHT ENTRY 

ASS ^ XXc. No. 
GOPY A. 



1 

The Devil In The Ghurch 






His Secret Works Exposed 4\ ^^ 

• AN© <• ^ tA 



^\\ 



HIS SNARES LAID TO DESTROY OUR PUBLIC 

SCHOOLS. 



TEN COMPLETE BOOKS I-N ONE VOLUME. 



L The Crimes of Priests. a, 

11. The Confessions of Nuns. ^ 
in. The Wicked Lives of the Popes. 
IV. Horrors of the Inquisition. 

V. Sham Miracles, Image Worshipper^ and Other Roman 

CathoHc Fallacies. 

VI. Awful Deeds of Priests in the Philippine Islands. 
VLI.'Ron-tani^m^n Avowed Enemy of Our Public Schools. 

VIII; Atinciilaf "Confession: the iDevil's Invention. 
IXv, Rojjie^s Opposition to American Secret Societies. 
XI«3fh^; E«vj4jl/ifl\ie"ncfe otfRoman Catholicism Upon Our 
Country. 



500 PAGES, 128 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
PRICE, $1.50, POSTPAID TO ANY ADDRESS. 



Agents Wanted for our large line of Patriotic and Popular 
Books and Teachers' and Family Bibles of All Kinds. 

A^merican F>ut>lishing Company 

BEAVER SPRIINGS, F»A. 



THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 

TO THE 

American Protestant Ministers and Qiurch Members. 

American Protestant Association. 

American Protective Association. 

American Order of Foresters. 

Ancient Order United Workmen. 

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. 

Christian Endeavor Members. 

Daughters of America. 

Daughters of American Revolution. 

Daughters of the Forest. 

Daughters of Liberty. 

Daughters of Rebekah. 

Epworth League Members. 

Grand Army of Republic. 

Free and Accepted Masons. 

Independent Order of Americans. 

Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

Junior Order United American Mechanics. 

Knights of the Golden Eagle. 

Knights of Honor. 

Knights of Malta. 

Knights of Pythias. 

Loyal Orange Institution of America. 

Luther League Members. 

Modern Woodmen of America. 

Order of True Americans. 

Patriotic Order Sons of America. 

Royal Arcanum. 

United American Mechanics. 

And All True Christians and American Patriots Who Believe 
that the Church and State should be Kept Separate For- 
ever. 



GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES, YET ALWAYS 
APPEARS NEW TO US. 

Kind friend, after carefully reading this book through, turn 
again to the following Scripture passages and you will be sur- 
prised at the new light and understanding you will get from 
them. 

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transform- 
ing themselves into the apostles of Christ. 

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an 
angel of light. 

Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be trans- 
formed as the ministers of righteousness ; whose end shall be 
according to their works." — 2 Cor. 11:13-15. 

''Be sober, be vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, as 
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 
— I Peter 5 :8. 

"And there shall be, like people, like priest : and I will pun- 
ish them for their ways." — Hosea 4:9. 

"Her prophets are light and treacherous persons : her priests 
have polluted the sanctuary : they have done violence to the 
law." — Zep. 3 4. 

"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge and they should 
seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the 
Lord of hosts. 

But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many 
to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of 
Levi, saith the Lord of hosts." — Mai. 2 :'/-S. 

"For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house 
have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord." — Jer. 23:11. 

"The priest and the prophet have erred through strong 
drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way 
through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judg- 
ment." — Isaiah 28:7. 

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present 
themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among 
them."— Job 1:6. 

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by 
their means : and my people love to have it so : and what will 
ye do in the end thereof?" — ^Jer. 5:31. 

"Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another : for thy people 
are as they that strive with the priest." — Hosea 4 -.4. 



AUTHORITIES CONSULTED. 



This work has been carefully compiled from nearly lOO books 
and newspapers, recognized as standard and authoritive litera- 
ture on the subject. It contains the cream of the writings of 
authors of Anti-Romanist works and to secure the information 
contained herein by reading the books mentioned would require 
years of constant study. In compiling this work the following 
books and newspapers, belonging to our private library, have beera. 
consulted : 



American Citizen, The. 

American Public Schools, The. 

America or Rome, Which? 

Archbishop's Dilemma, The. 

Archbishop or Romanism in the United States, 

The. 
Assassination of Lincoln, The. 
Auricular Confession and Popish Nunneries. 
Battle of the Boyne. . ^, . . 

Christ on the Throne of Power and Anti-Chnst. 
Clerical Celibacy. 
Cloven Foot, The. 
Converted Catholic, The. 
Convent Horror, The. 
Convent Life Unveiled. 
Confessions of a Nun. 
Crimes of a Pope. 
Cruel Persecutions of the Protestants m the 

Kingdom of France. 
D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation. 
Dawn of the Reformation in Europe, The. 
Dens' Moral Theology. 
Devil in Robes, The. 
English Martyrology. 
Ethics of Americanism. 
Evenings With the Romanists. 
Evolution of the Devil, The. 
Fiftv Years in the Church of Rome. 
Fifteen Years Behind the Curtains. 
Fight With Rome, The. 

Foreign Conspiracv Against the United States. 
From the Roman Catholic Altar to the Protestant 

Pulpit. 
Great Red Dragon, or the Master Key to Popery. 
Historv of the Confessional. 

History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin. 
History of the Inquisition. 
History of Popery. 
History of the Vaudois. 
How to Win Romanists. 
Illustrations of Popery. 

Inquisition in America, Tlie. , 

Jesuits, The. 
Lectures on Romanism. 
Life of Alexander Borgia, The. 
Life of a Spanish Monk. 
Luther in Rome. 
Maria Monk. 

Martyr Scenes of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth 
Centuries. 



Merry Tales of the Monks. 

Monk, The. 

Mystery of Iniquity, The. 

Mystery of Iniquity Unveiled, The. 

Nun of Kenmare, The. 

Our True Friend. 

Papal Tax Book, The. 

Papal Idolatry. 

Papacy, The. 

Paul and Julia. 

Persecutions at Madeira, The. 

Platina's Lives of the Popes. 

Popery As It Was and As It Is. 

PoperV the Man of Sin. 

Priest and Nun. 

Priest, the Woman and the Confessional, Tfte. 

Reasons Why I Am a Christian and Not a R«^- 

manist. 
Romanism As It Is. 
Romanism and the Reformation. 
Romanism and the Republic. 
Roman Conflict, The. 
Romanism Incompatible with Republican Institis- 

tions. n T^ ,. . -, 

Rome the Enemy of Our Civil and Religiot» Jsbrr 

stitutions. , 

Romish Horse-Leech. 
Rosamond's Narrative. 
Rum, Rags and Religion. 
Secrets of Auricular Confession Exposed. 
Secret Instructions of the Jesuits. 
Shall Liberty Die? or Patriots to the Front. 
Sister Augustine, An Old Catholic. 
Sister Lucy and Her Awful Disclosures. 
Six Years in Italy. 
Solid for Mulhooly. 
Spirit of Popery, The. 
Testimony of An Escaped Novice. 
Trial of Anti-Christ. 
U. S. Senate Document, No. 190. 
Vatican Decrees, The. 
Vaticanism Unmasked. 
Washington in the Lap of Rome. 
Westward, Ho! 
Wliite's Evidence. 
Whv Priests Should Wed. 
\Yhy Priests Don't Wed. 
William of Orange. 



CONTENTS. 



BOOK I.— THE CRIMES OF PRIESTS. 

Page. 

The Priest, Purgatorj' and the Poor Widow's Cow, 21 

How a Priest Secured a Fine Roast Dinner, 28 

Priests Cause Bible to be Burned in New York State, 30 

Many Victims Among Schoolmistresses, 31 

How a Priest Kept His Vow, 35 

Confession of a Priest at the Point of Death 36 

Money ! Monej' ! Money ! 39 

Bloody Fight in Church Between Two Priests, 40 

The Priest Who Had a Wife, 43 

Numerous Dead Bodies of Infants Found Near a Nunnery, 44 

Young Lady Spirited Away by a Priest, 45 

Festivities in a Parsonage, 45 

Drunken Priest Plays Blind Man's Buff, 49 

Worshipping the Beast, 51 

Priest Baptizes Infants — IVfother Abbess Murders Them, 52 

Rome Treading Morality Under Her Feet, 52 

Priests Hold High Carnival, 54 

One Hundred Thousand Families Ruined in One Year, 56 

Priests Murdering Their Own Parents, 56 

Bishops and Priests Have Plenty of Ill-Gotten Gold, 57 

Priests Cause Millions to Go Wrong 59 

The Priest a Plague, 60 

The Daily Life of a Young Priest, 60 

Celibacy a Great Curse, 63 

The Shameful Pit of Impurity, 63 

The Vatican a Residence for Women, 64 

American Homes Imperilled, 64 

A Married Priesthood and Pure Christian Homes, 64 

Plain Reasons Why Priests Should Wed, 65 

A Catholic Priest Plays the Part of Satan and is Shot and Killed, 68 

Taxation or Damnation, 69 

Beauties of the Papal System, 70 

Dennis and the Priest — a Dialogue, 70 

The Wealthy Spaniard and the Priest, 75 

A Priesf's Leve for His Members, 75 

W' ho a Priest Is, 76 

Eating Pictures in Poland, 77 

The Romish View of Martin Luther 78 

How Pat Got His Brother Out of Purgatory, 78 

The New York Relic Returns to Duty 78 

Pennsylvania Bishop Blessing the Hickory Sticks, 79 

BOOK II.— THE CONFESSIONS OF NUNS. 

Maria Monk's Awful Exposures of the Black Nunnery, 84 

The Perils of Girls, 86 

Out of the Coffin Into Shame, 89 

The Mother Superior Tells Why Priests Cannot Sin 91 

How Infants Were Murdered, .' 92 

Demons in the Forms of Men 92 

The Convent in Its True Light, 94 

Manufacturing Religious Lies, 95 

The Burial Place for Infants, 95 

How Priests Can Enter Nunneries, 95 

No Room for the Bible in that Convent, 96 

An Underground Passageway, 96 

Murder of a Beautiful Woman in a Nunnery, 97 

The Testimony of an Escaped Nun, 102 

A Sister's Treachery 103 

A Nun's Daily Life, 104 

Convent Life a Hell Upon Earth, 107 

Nun Imprisoned in a Dungeon for Twenty-one Years, 113 

A Sister's Fate, 114 

A Frightful Occurrence in a Convent, 115 

Convent Life Inducements 115 

How One Convent Was Closed, 116 

Nunneries Should be Investigated, 117 

The Black Veil 117 

Open the C(un ents 118 



CONTENTS. 13 

Page. 

Ifo Heaven There, 119 

The Imprisoned Nun, 121 

BOOK III.— THE WICKED LIVES OF THE POPES. 

Some of the Most Unholy Men the World Has Ever Known, 124 

Pope John VIII., 124 

Sergius III., 126 

Pope John X 126 

Pope John XI. 127 

Popes Guilty of Numerous Crimes 129 

An Awful Picture of the Popedom, 132 

Monsters in the Pontifical Chair 133 

Nineteen Centuries of Roman Catholic Popish History, 135 

Hildebrand, 139 

Pius IX 156 

Leo XIII., 158 

BOOK IV.— HORRORS OF THE INQUISITION. 

The Inquisitors and Their Practices, 161 

The Trial of a Friar of St. Jerome, : 164 

Sentence Given Against Lawrence Castro, 164 

The Inquisition a Purgatory on Earth, 166 

Rich Jews Made Good Victims, 166 

The Burning of John Huss, 167 

Another Method of Torture, 172 

Cut to Death by the "Pendulum," 173 

The Power of the Inquisitors, 173 

Dead Bodies of Murdered Protestants Only Half Buried, 174 

"The Smell of a Rotten Protestant is Good," 177 

The Number of Victims of the Inquisition, - 177 

How Delicate Women Have Become Daring Persecutors, 178 

The Terrible Work of the Inquisition, 178 

BOOK v.— SHAM MIRACLES, IMAGE WORSHIPPERS AND OTHER ROMAN CATHO- 
LIC FALLACIES. 

Roman Catholicism is no religion, 181 

Shameful Use of Relics, 181 

St. Anne's Bone Raises Twenty Thousand Dollars, 185 

The Priest on the Donkey 186 

Priest Crosses a River on a Dry Pathway, 188 

Never Confessed to the Same Priest Twice, 189 

Money Can Buy Anything, 189 

Many Instances of the Uses to Which Relics are Put, 190 

The Fearful Delusion Caused by Relics, 197 

"Saved More Souls with Indulgences Than St. Paul with His Sermons," 198 

Terrible Blasphemy Against God, 201 

"The Sins of Protestants Will Not Be Forgiven Throughout All Eternity," 206 

Purgatory Eight Degrees, Hell Only Four Degrees, 206 

The Soul Appears in the Figure of a Mouse, 210 

How Rome Condemned Galileo, the Astronomer, 212 

"All Protestants Are Doomed," - 214 

Image Worship, 214 

Oath Taken b}' Roman Catholics, 215 

Eleven Thousand Relics in a Single Church, 217 

''Wonderful" Miracles, 217 

Sailed on the Sea on His Cloak, 217 

A Bottle of the Blood of Christ 218 

Priest Took Seven Devils From a Man, 218 

Satan Pleased with the Worsliippers of Pictures and Images, 219 

The Origin of Image Worship, 219 

Great Fun at Children's Confessions 222 

Married His Own Sister, 224 

Nine Startling Consequences of the Dogma of TransubstantlatiOn, 226 

A Priest Tells How Romish Miracles Are Wrought, 236 

The God of Rome Eaten by a Rat, 238 

Romanism Fears Christian Sunday Schools, 245 

Woe Unto Heretics (Protestants), 246 

A Church Drunk With the Blood of the Saints, 249 

Romish Trinkets in Parochial Schools, 249 

What Happened to the Lady's Lap Dog, 249 

How Priests Evade the Rules 251 

Why Romanists Object to the Bible, 251 

The Monk Had to Take His Own Medicine, 252 

Poisoned by Eating His God, • 252 

Popery as a Powerful System, 253 

How Voltaire Became an Atheist, 254 



14 CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Romanism on the Rampage, 254 

What American Protestants May Expect, 255 

A Bishop's Curse Against the Press, 255 

Why Romanists Changed the Ten Commandments, 256 

An Oath Taken Before a Civil Magistrate Not Binding 257 

"No Protestants Can Go to Heaven," 257 

Thorns and Thistles Preferred to Lutherans, 257 

License for Committing Sins, 258 

A Long Ladder to Meet God, 25S 

How Luther Overcame the Pope, 259 

The Difference Between the True Church of Christ and the Church of Rome, 25» 

The Awful Fate of Roman Catholics Who Dare Become Protestants, 261 

Litany, 261 

Rev. T. DeWitt Talmage on Romanism, 262 

A Methodist Preacher's Advice to the Pope, 263 

Hermann, the Great Magician, Exposes Romish Miracles 264 

A Penance the Old Lady Could Not Perform, 26t> 

The Masterpiece of the Devil, 266 

The Difference Between Purgatory and Paradise, 267 

One Hundred Reasons Why I Left the Roman Catholic Church, by an ex-Priest, 270' 

BOOK VI.— AWFUL DEEDS OF PRIESTS IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

Romish Rule in the Philippines, 282^ 

Pay Grave Rent or Have Your Bones Dug Up, , 282 

Penny Chromos Sold by Priests at Twelve Dollars, 282 

The Natives Give a Murderous Priest His Just Dues, 282 

Stealing Millions from the People and State, 282 

How a School Teacher Lost His Job, 282^ 

Interview with Senor Don Felipe Calderon, 285 

Priests Who Came from the Lowest Class of Society, 285 

Punished for Indecent Expressions in the Presence of Ladies, 285- 

The Rule for a Priest to Have a Mistress and Cliildren, 285 

A "Poor" Priest Worth Forty Thousand Dollars, 285 

Holy Priests as Rare as a Snow Bird in Slimmer, 285 

A Fanatical Catholic People to Deal With, 285. 

Interview With Jose Roderigues Infante, 292 

One Priest Nearly Got a Whole Community Into Jail, 292 

Could Live Forever by Being Baptized by a Priest 292 

To Swell the Taxes They Robbed the Cradle and the Grave, 292 

Immorality of the Priests Was General, 292 

Priests Delighted in Witnessing Tortures of Men in Prison, 292 

Interview With Senor Nozario Constantino, 299 

Priests Assume the Cloak of Religion to Gain a Living, 299' 

Wives Taken Away from Their Husbands by Priests, 299' 

A General Hatred of the Priests Exists Among the People, 299 

A Skeleton in a Closet Revealed, .- . . 299 

Interview With Maximo Viola, .*.... 303 

A Phj'si clan's Interesting Disclosures of Life Among the People ai?d Priests, 803 

Priests Controlling the Elections, 303 

The Torments of Hell and Consequences of An Evil Life, 308 

Corpses Allowed to Rot When Fees Were Missing, 303 

Never Saw a Pure Priest, 308 

Pedro Surano Laktraw, 311 

A Teacher Harshly Treated for Being a Freemason, 311 

A Priest Living With Two Sisters, 311 

Removal of a Pure Christian Minister, 311 

Interview With Ambrosia Flores, 315 

The Priest a Veritable God, 315 

Woe to the Man Who Possessed a Handsome Wife or Daughter, 315 

Interview With H. Phelps Whitmarsh, 317 

Priests Oppressed and Robbed the People 317 

Used Women and Daughters as They Pleased, 317 

Priests Gambling in Convents With Members of Their Own Church, 317 

Evidence of Florentino Torres, 321 

Not the Salvation of Souls, but the Accumulation of Wealth the Priests' Object, 321 

Kept the People in Ignorance as Much as Possible, ' . . . 321 

Priests a Great Hindrance to Civilization and Progress, 321 

Innocent People Outraged Through Detective Work of the Priests, 321 

Jose Ros 824 

How a Priest Treated a Poor Man Who Could Not Pay "His Rent, 324 

A Poor Widow and Her Children's Punishment, 324 

Franco Gonzales, 325 

Why This Priest Gambled, 325 

Priest Beats a Man With a Rattan 325 

Kiss the Priest's Hands or Be Slapped, 325 

Two Secret Stairways at a Convent, 325 

Priests Had No Respect for the Sanctity of the Church, 325 



CONTENTS. 15 

Page. 

Testimony of Headmen and Leading Residents, 327 

Jose Templo, 328 

Priests the Corrupters of Youth, 328 

One Good Priest to Ninety-nine Bad Ones 328 

Fees for Marriages, Christenings and Burials, 328 

Priests Having More Power Than the Governors, 328 

Horrible Treatment of a Young Man Who Was "Branded," 323 

Priests Advocating Giving Bread With One Hand and Rattan Beatings With the 

Other 328 

Many Methods of Torture Which Must Have Been Invented by a Thousand 

Demons, .323 

Protestant Ministers Badly Needed, 328 

The Free School System 'Would Be a Great Blessing, 328 

Wonderful Filipino Prayer, 334 

Answers to the Interrogatories, 337 

Priest Orders Husband Out of His Own House 337 

Ignoble Treatment of a Respected Widow, 337 

People Had to Submit Like Meek Lambs, 337 

Freemasons Shot as Traitors, 337 

Acquiring Riches the Priests' Sole Aim, 337 

BOOK VII.— ROMANISM AN AVOWED ENEMY OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Public Schools Not Subjected to Civil Power, 343 

Pits of Destruction, 343 

A Threat Against Our Public School Sj'stem 344 

Obey, or Be in Danger of Eternal Damnation, 345 

The Little School House on the Hillside, 346 

President Garfield on the Dangers of Romanism, 348 

Contents of a Roman Catholic Text Book, 348 

State Education a Damnable Heresy, 350 

Will We Forget the Work Done by Our Fathers ? 352 

Servility of the Romish Press, 352 

The Voice of Statesmen, 353 

Voice of the Romish Press, 353 

Protestantism is the Power of To-day, 354 

Voice of the Cardinals, 355 

Voice of the Popes, 355 

Infidelity Preferable to Protestantism, 356 

Public Schools a National Fraud, 358 

Public Money for Sectarian Schools, 358 

Education a Dangerous Heresy, 358 

Voice of the Romish Priests, 359 

The Necessity of Keeping Up Our Public School System, 359 

Terrible Tale Told by Our Prisons and Jails, 360 

Priests Protest Against Opening Public Schools and County Institutes With 

Praver, 360 

The Little Red School House, 360 

A Call to Action, 361 

Awake, Ye Sons of Freedom ! 363 

BOOK VIIL— AURICULAR CONFESSION THE DEVIL'S INVENTION. 

Origin of Auricular Confession, '364 

Some of the Awful Results of this Practice, 365 

Human Monsters in the Confessional Box 370 

The Danger of Handling Inflammable Material, 374 

Auricular Confession and Priestly Absolution, 375 

Power of the Confessional, 378 

How a Telephone Gave Away Secrets of the Confessional, 379 

The Difference Between the Ballot Box and the Confessional, 379 

The Hole in the Wall, 380 

The Confessional, 382 

BOOK IX.— ROME'S OPPOSITION TO AMERICAN SECRET SOCIETIES. 

The Opposition of Rome to Patriotic Secret Societies, 384 

Masonry and Jesuitry, •: 384 

The Jesuits Getting Their Deserts, 385 

Attendance at a Romish Secret Society's Ball, 385 

The Pope's Secret Societies, 386 

Banishment and Imprisonment of a Patriotic Secret Society Man, 38S 

The Pope Condemns the Knights of Pythias, 387 

The Pope Declares Freemasons to be Instruments of Satan, 387 

A Dying Odd Fellow and a Priest 388 

Inhuman Tortures of a Man WTio Refused to Divulge the Secrets of Freemasonry, 389 

Four Years a Prisoner for Refusing to Disclose Lodge Secrets, 391 

Knights of Malta Take a Bold Stand Against Romanism, 391 



I6 CONTENTS. 

Page. 

The Romish "View of American Secret Societies, 392 ' 

How Roman Catholics Boycotted a Secret Society's Fair, 392 

The Pope Classes Freemasons and Jews With Anarchists, 393 

How Roman Catholic Nuns Disposed of the Dead Body of a G. A. R. Man, 393 

Food Refused to a Starving Secret Society Man, 395 

Horrible Treatment of a Mason's Widow by a Priest, 396 

Patriotic Societies, Beware of Snakes, 398 

Patriotic Discourse to the Members of the Junior Order United American Me- 
chanics, 399 

In Rome's Secrecy Lies Her Strength, 401 

The Great Value of American Secret Societies 401 

Roman Catholic Priests Can Never be True Americans, 404 

The Priest's Oath, 404 

Oath of the Clan-na-Gael, 405 

Oath of a Ribbon Man, 406 

The Jesuitical Oath, 406 

Protestants the Offspring of the Devil, 411 

A Father's Ingratitude Toward Freemasons 412 

The Order of United American Mechanics, 412 

Origin and Growth of the Patriotic Order Sons of America, 414 

What is Pythianism, 414 

Patriotic Orders, Be Careful ! 415 

A Queer Odd Fellows' Lodge in a Cave 415 

How a Secret Society Man's Wife Found Out the Passwords, 415 

BOOK X.— THE EVIL INFLUENCE OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM UPON OUR COUNTRY. 

Why True Roman Catholics Cannot Become True Patriotic American Citizens, 418 

Liberty and Romanism Cannot Live Together, 422 

Warning to Americans, 423 

Plans for Overthrowing Our Government, 424 

Destroying American Institutions, 424 

Rome's Large Number of Criminals, 426 

Rome Relies for Her Success on Foreigners, 427 

Blind-Folding the People, 429 

To Bring the Dark Ages Upon Us Again, 429 

Romanism the Popular Religion of Criminals, 430 

Parson Brownlow's Philosophy, 430 

Immigration Our Damnation, 431 

The Roman Catholic Church Greater Than Our Government, 431 

General Lafayette's Declaration 431 

For God or the Devil, 432 

Religious Freedom at An End, 432 

No Murder to Kill Certain Persons, 432 

Proud Boasts of Roman Catholics, 432 

Who Did the Deserting During the Civil War? 434 

The Conditions in Philadelphia 434 

Rome's Responsibility for the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, 435 

The Real Cause of the Civil War, 445 

President Lincoln Could Not Cross the Jordan, 447 

Plain Evidence Against Lincoln's Assassins, 448 

Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley Murdered by Assassins of Roman Catholic Faith, 452 

Princes Bound to Kiss the Pope's Feet, 453 

Licentiousness Licensed, 453 

Sabbath Breaking, 453 

Drunkenness, 454 

Gambling, 454 

Illegitimacy, 454 

An Insult to the Protestant People of America, 454 

Archbishop Ireland's Bold Claims, 455 

The Priest and the Railway Conductor, 456 

Enough Scripture to Poison a Parish 456 

Protestants Will be Damned Anyhow, 458 

Is America the Road to Hell? 458 

"We Buy, But Never Sell," 458 

Where the Sabbath is a Day of Revelry, 459 

Fifty-seven Millions of Protestants in this Country Going to Hell, 459 

How Nuns Were Prevented from Seeing a Congressman, 459 

The Church of Rome Against the American Constitution, 460 

Rome's Plan to Take Possession of Illinois and the Fertile Prairie States, .... 461 

President Roosevelt Preaches, 465 

The Curse of Immigration, 465 

When Vices Will be Good and Virtues Bad, 466 

- Catholics First and Citizens Next, 466 

America the Hope of Rome, 466 

The Pope's Great Wealth, 466 

Christians Should Make Greater Efforts to Save Romanists, 466 

Romanism is to be Destroyed, Not Redeemed, 467 

How to Convert Romanists, 469 



LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 1 7 

Page. 

Shall the Bible be Our Guide? 469 

How Protestants Should Treat Roman Catholics, 470 

How a Roman Catholic Priest Became Converted to Christianity, 471 

Admiral Dewey's Testimony, 474 

We Should Not Think, 474 

The American Catechism— A Manual of Patriotism, 475 

The Bible Must Stay in Our Public Schools 484 

Catholic Mischief Makers, 485 

Digging the Grave of Protestantism, 487 

A Catholic Priest Acknowledges the Decay of His Church, 487 

The Confession of a Roman Catholic Friar 489 

A Dead Christ, 491 

Poison to Catholicism, 492 

The Power of Priests over Womankind, 402 

What Protestants Shall Fear, 492 

Very Much Mixed, 492 

The Papal Howl— "Let Us Alone," 494 

I Wish I Was a Foreigner, 495 

The Eagle Screams, 496 

Vote as You've Been Praying, 497 

The Pope's Plan, 499 



- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

McKinley Memorial, Frontispiece 

Adoration of the Pope, 438 

At a Popish Masquerade Ball, 320 

Auto de Fe Introduced, The, 228 

Barbarities Exercised Against the Waldenses, 449 

Beating a ilan in Prison, 493 

Benediction of a New Cross, 4"3 

Benediction of a Standard, 428 

Benediction of a Warrior 428 

Benediction of the Foundation, 428 

Benediction of the Ground Where a Church is to be Built, 428 

Bishop Making the Alphabet with Ashes, 428 

Bishop Making the Sign of the Cross at tlie Church Door, 428 

Bishop of Pennsylvania Blessing the Hickory Sticks, The, 80 

Bitter Persecutions of Protestants in the Fifteenth Century, 194 

Building in Which President McKinley AVas Made a Mason, 400 

Burial of a Protestant During the Time of the Popish Persecution, 449 

Burning of John Huss, the Martyr, The, 171 

Burning of Lawrence at Colchester, The, 269 

Burning of Protestants Latimer and Ridley, 443 

Children Torn to Pieces by Papists, 463 

Christian Religion is Founded Upon the Solid Rock of Truth, 260 

Cleanse the Heart, 61 

Confiteor, or Confession 61 

Consecration of An Image, 428 

Corner of Masonic Lodge Room, Showing Portrait of Lafayette, 407 

Corner of Masonic Lodge Room, Showing Portrait of Washington, 40U 

Coronation of the Pope, 438 

Corpse of the Dead Popo Exposed, The, 438 

Council Condemning the Pope of Rome, A, 131 

Cranmer's Martyrdom, Thomas, 433 

Cruelties in Ireland, 449 

Cutting Oflf the Golden Tresses Before Taking the Veil, 122 

Dead Bodies of Murdered Protestants Only Half Buried ,. 174 

Dismission, The, .' 244 

Dominus Vobiscum, 61 

Feast for the Priests, A, 457 

Festivities in a Parsonage, 47 

Filipino Gravevard, 284 

Heads Blown Off With Powder, 463 

Her First Night in a Convent, 108 

Incensing of the Cross, 244 

Inhuman Tortures of John Coustos for Refusing to Divulge Lodge Secrets, The, 390 

Introite, The, 61 

Keys Presented to the Pope, The, 438 

King Edward VII., 410 

Kyrie Eleeson 61 

Last Prayers, The, • • • 244 

Lord's Praj'er, etc. , The, 244 

Man and Nun Condemned, A, 449 



1 8 LIST OF ILL USTRA TIONS. 

Page. 

Man and Woman Condemned by the Inquisition, A, 449 

Man and Woman Condemned in their Death Dresses, ! . 449 

Manila Cathedral, The, 308 

Mausolemn, !!'.*.*.*.*.*... 438 

Maria Monk's Awful Experience, 9q 

Massacre of Protestants in the Sixteenth Century ". .'.".V.V.V.V. 428 

Monuments of the Popes at Rome, 142 

Murder of La Belle Maria by a Canadian Priest, '....' 87 

Never Let This Snake Encircle Our National Government, 425 

Never Let Uncle Sam Fall Asleep, 486 

Nun of Kenmare, The, 67 

Nuns Begging Money from Business and Professional Men, SQT 

Oblation of the Host, 61 

Obnoxious Obstruction, An, 341 

Obsequies of the Dead Pope, .'. 438 

Opening the Holy Gate By the Pope, 438 

Passing in Procession Before the Pope on Palm Sunday, 187 

Perfuming a Bell, 428 

Pope Leo XIII., 159 

Post Communion 244 

Prayer for Faithful Living 61 

Priest Adoring the Host, 244 

Priest at the Side of the Altar, 61 

Priest Baptizes Infant— Mother Abbess Strangles It, 53 

Priest Breaking the Host, 244 

Priest Commencing Mass, 61 

Priest Covers the Chalice, 61 

Priest Covers the Host and Chalice, 244 

Priest Eats the Host, 244 

Priest Elevates Chalice 244 

Priest Exhorts to Pray, / 61 

Priest Goes to the Altar, 61 

Priest Kissing the Altar, 61 

Priest Makes Absolution, 244 

Priest Pronounces Blessing, 244 

Priest Puts Part of the Host in Chalice, 244 

Priest Reads the Epistle, 61 

Priest Reads the Gospel, 61 

Priest Reads the Preface, 61 

Priest Saying Memento, 244 

Priest Selmont Burning the Holy Bible, 32 

Priest Signs the Host With the' Cross, 244 

Priest Smiting His Breast, 244 

Priest Uncovers the Chalice, 61 

Priest Washes His Hands 61 

Priest ^Vho Gambled to Support His "Wife," A, 326 

Priest's Confession of Sin, 244 

Priests Refused this Corpse Burial, 308 

Procession of Criminals at the Auto de Fe., 449 

Procession of the Pope, 438 

Prostrating at the Pope's Feet, 438 

Protect Young America from Two Cobras, Jesuitism and Treason, 357 

Roman Catholic Barbarity During the Times of the Inquisition, 179 

Roman Catholic Nims Attempt to Force a Grand Army Man to Accept their 

Religion, 394 

Roman Catholics About to Burn the Protestant Preacher Philpot, 294 

Roman Catholics Arrest Galileo, the Astronomer 213 

Rome's Attack on American Schools, 362 

Romanists Burying Protestants Alive, 200 

Romish Masquerade Supper, A • 333 

Romish View of a Room in Purgatory, The, 209 

Secrets Revealed in the Confessional, 369 

Seven Stars Inn, The, 416 

Signing the Declaration of Independence, 498 

Standard of the Inquisition of Spain, 449 

Standard of the Inquisition of Goa, 449 

Storming of Beziers, 449 

Thomas Wildey, the Founder of Odd Fellowship 413 

Tortures of the Waldenses in 1655 278 

Trial of John Romeo by the Officers of the Inquisition, 165 

Two Fighting Priests in Church, 41 

Two Kinds of "Mothers," 25 

Two Views of a Nun, 99 

Uncle Sam Drawing a Line Between the Church and State, 351 

VaiH Efforts of Early Popish Cohorts to Destroy Liberty and the Freedom of the 

X Printing Press 476 

Vaudois Women Buried Alive, 463 

Woman on Her Death Bed Sends Away Insulting Priest, 468 

Will You Stand by the "Little School House," 347 

"You Are a Monsterl" 373 



Introduction. 



FAITHFUL MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL AND 
MEMBERS OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN CHURCH!— 
Read this book : The atmosphere of hght, honesty, truth, sin- 
cerity and hoHness in which you Hve makes it almost impossible 
for you to realize the dark mysteries of idolatry, immorality, 
degrading slavery, hatred of the Word of God, superstitious, 
ridiculous and humiliating ceremonies that are constantly prac- 
ticed in the church of Rome. You will learn why Roman 
Catholicism should not be classed as a Christian religion, as 
so many Protestant people who are not acquainted with the 
true facts, are in the habit of doing. You will find in the 
pages of this work an account of the terrible sufferings of the 
martyrs of the Reformation, to whom we are indebted for keep- 
ing alive the Word of God and spreading the glorious Pro- 
testant religion. 

HONEST AND LIBERTY LOVING PEOPLE OF THE 
UNITED STATES !— Read this book, and you will find that 
Rome is the sworn, the absolutely irreconcilable and deadly 
enemy of your schools, your institutions, your so dearly bought 
rights and liberties. Even while we are penning these Hues, 
during the year of our Lord, 1902, the Pope at Rome is making 
every effort to secure official recognition at the hands of the 
United States Government, but, thank God! he has not suc- 
ceeded, and may the church and state be kept separate for- 
ever. Read this book and you will understand that Romanism 
and Liberty cannot live on the same, ground. This has been 
declared by the Popes hundreds of times, and the Popes and 
Romish Church are infallible ! 



MEMBERS OE THE PATRIOTIC SECRET SOCIE- 
TIES OF AMERICA!— Read this book, and you will not only 
understand Romanism as you never did, but you will find many 
new reasons to be more than ever vigilant, fearless and devot- 
ed, even to death, in the discharge of the sacred duties imposed 
upon you by your love for your country, your brethren and your 
God ! A crafty and cruel enemy, from over the seas, is at work 
among us with its destructive forces sowing tares among the 
wheat, and unless the patriotic American secret societies shall 
arise from their indifference and call a halt on the tide of for- 
eign immigration, making our beloved country the dumping 
ground for the filth and anarchists of the old country, nearly 
all of them being of the Roman Catholic faith and profession, 
what terrible harvests of bitterness we must reap ! 

PRIESTS AND PEOPLE OE ROME!— We have no 
hatred in our hearts for you, but we hope and pray that by 
the grace and goodness of God you will find in these pages how 
you are cruelly deceived by your traditions and those in author- 
ity over you, and that you will accept the Church of Christ as 
the only true means of salvation. You will see that you can- 
not be saved by your ceremonies, masses, confessions, purga- 
tory, indulgences, fastings, etc., but only through faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation can be secured without money 
and without price. Salvation is a gift ! Eternal life is a gift ! 
Forgiveness of sin is a gift ! Christ is a gift ! Why not accept 
Him? One single soul is worth more than the whole world, 
and if this book is the means of winning but one Roman Cath- 
olic to the true Christian religion we will feel richly repaid. 

THE COMPILER. 



I. 

THE CRIMES OF PHIESTS. 



THE PRIEST, PURGATOE.Y, AND THE POOR WIDOW'S COW. 

Father Chiniquy, when a boy, came home from a Catholic 
school for a vacation and says : 

"I arrived at home on the 17th of July, 1821, and spent the 
afternoon and evening till late by my father's side. With what 
pleasure did he see me working difficult problems in algebra, 
and even in geometry ! for under my teacher, Mr. Jones, I had 
really made rapid progress in those branches. More than once 
I had noticed tears of joy in my father's eyes when, taking my 
slate, he saw that my calculations were correct. He also ex- 
amined me in grammar. ''What an admirable teacher this Mr. 
Jones must be," he would say, "to have advanced a child so 
much in the short space of fourteen months !" 

How sweet to me, but how short, were those hours of hap- 
piness passed between my good mother and father! We had 
family worship. I read the fifteenth chapter of Luke, the re- 
turn of the prodigal son. My mother then sang a hymn of 
joy and gratitude, and I went to bed with my heart full of hap- 
piness to take the sweetest sleep of my life. But, O God! 
what an awful awakening thou hadst prepared for me! 

At about four o'clock in the morning heart-rending screams 
fell upon my ear. I recognized my mother's voice. 

^'What is the matter, dear m.other?" 

"Oh, my dear child, you have no more a father! He is 
dead!" 

In saying these words she lost consciousness and fell on the 
floor ! 

While a friend who had passed the night with us gave her 

proper care^ I hastened to my father's bed. I pressed him to 
a 



22 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

my heart, I kissed him, I covered him with my tears, I moved 
his head, I pressed his hands, I tried to Hft him up on his pil- 
low; I could not beHeve that he was dead! It seemed to me 
that even if dead he would come back to life — that God could 
not thus take my father away from me at the very moment 
when I had come back to him after so long an absence! I 
knelt to pray to God for the life of my father. But my cries 
and tears were useless. He was dead! He was already cold 
as ice! ' 

Two days after he was buried. My mother was so over- 
whelmed with grief that she could not follow the funeral pro- 
cession. I remained with her as her only earthly support. 
Poor mother! How many tears thou hast shed! What sobs 
came from thine afBicted heart in those days of supreme grief ! 

Though I was then very young, I could understand the 
greatness of our loss, and I mingled my tears with those of my 
mother. 

What pen can portray what takes place in the heart of a 
woman when God takes suddenly her husband away in the 
prime of his life, and leaves her alone, plunged in misery, with 
three small children, two of whom are even too young to know 
their loss! How long are the hours of the day for the poor 
widow who is left alone, and without means, among strangers ! 
How painful the sleepless night to the heart which has lost 
everything ! How empty a house is left by the eternal absence 
of him who was its master, support, and father! Every object 
in the house and every step she takes remind her of her loss 
and sinks the sword deeper which pierces her heart. Oh, how 
bitter are the tears which flow from' her eyes when her young- 
est child, who as yet does not understand the mystery of 
death, throws himself into her arms and says : ''Mamma, where 
is papa? Why does he not come back? I am lonely!" 

My poor mother passed through those heart-rending trials. 
I heard her sobs during the long hours of the day, and also 
during the longer hours of the night. Many times have I seen 
her fall upon her knees to implore God to be merciful to her 
and to her three unhappy orphans. I could do nothing then 
Xg comfort herj but loye her, pray and weep with her! 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 23 

Only a few days had elapsed after the burial of my father 
when I saw Mr. Courtois, the parish priest, coming to our 
house (he who had tried to take away our Bible from us). He 
had the reputation of being rich, and as we were poor and un- 
happy since my father's death, my first thought was that he 
had come to comfort and to help us. I could see that my 
mother had the same hopes. She welcomed him as an angel 
from heaven. The least gleam of hope is so sweet to one who 
is unhappy! 

From his very first words, however, I could see that our 
hopes were not to be realized. He tried to be sympathetic, 
and even said something about the confidence we should have 
in God, especially in times of trial; but his words were cold 
and dry. 

Turning to me, he said: 

*'Do you continue to read the Bible, my little boy?" 

"Yes, sir," answered I, with a voice trembling with anxiety, 
for I feared he would make another effort to take away that 
treasure, and I had no longer a father to defend it. 

Then addressing my mother, he said: 

"Madam, I told you that it was not right for you or your 
child to read that book." 

My mother cast down her eyes, and answered only by the 
tears which ran down her cheeks. 

That question was followed by a long silence, and the priest 
then continued: 

"Madam, there is something due for the prayers which have 
been sung, and the services which you requested to be offered 
for the repose of your husband's soul. I will be very much 
obHged to you if you will pay me that little debt." 

"Mr. Courtois," answered my mother, "my husband left me 
nothing but debts. I have only the work of my own hands 
to procure a living for my three children, the eldest of whom 
is before you. For these little orphans' sake, if not for mine, 
do not take from us the little that is left." 

"But, madam, you do not reflect. Your husband died sud- 
denly and without any preparation; he is therefore in the 
fl^me^ of purptory, |f you want: him to b^ 4elivpr^4i 70W 



24 'I^HU DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

must necessarily unite your personal sacrifices to the prayers 
of the Church and the masses which we offer." 

'*AsI said, my husband has left me absolutely without means, 
and it is impossible for me to give you any money," replied 
my mother. 

"But, madam, your husband was for a long time the only 
notary of Mai Bay. He surely must have made much money. 
I can scarcely think that he has left you without any means 
to help him now that his desolation and sufferings are far 
greater than yours." 

"My husband did, indeed, coin much money, but he spent still 
more. Thanks to God, we have not been in want while he 
lived. But lately he got this house built, and what is still due 
on it makes me fear that I will lose it. He also bought a piece 
of land not long ago, only half of which is paid, and I will, 
therefore, probably not be able to keep it. Hence I may 
soon, with my orphans, be deprived of everything that is left 
us. In the meantime I hope, sir, that you are not a man to 
take away from us our last piece of bread." 

"But, madam, the masses offered for the rest of jour hus- 
band's soul must be paid," answered the priest. 

My mother covered her face with her handkerchief and 
wept. '■ After a long silence, my mother raised her eyes, red- 
dened with tears, and said : "Sir, you see that cow in the mea- 
dow, not far from our house? Her milk, and the butter made 
from it form the principal part of my children's food. Thope 
you will not take her away from us. If, however, such a sac- 
rifice must be made to deliver my husband's soul from purga- 
tory, take her as payment for the masses to be offered to ex- 
tinguish those devouring flames." 

The priest instantly arose, saying, "Very well, madam," and 
went out. Our eyes anxiously followed him; but instead of 
walking towards the little gate which was in front of the house, 
he directed his steps towards the meadow, and drove the cow 
before him in the direction of his home. At that sight I 
screarhed with despair : "O, my mother! he is taking our cow 
^yay!' Whatroll become of us ^':^>':,: 'i^^^^ 




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26 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

three months old. Her mother had been brought from Scot- 
land, ajnd belonged to one of the best breeds of that country. 
I fed her with my own hands, and had often shared my bread 
with her. I loved her as a child always loves an animal which 
he has brought up himself. She seemed to understand and 
love me also. From whatever distance she could see me, she 
would run to me to receive my caresses, and whatever else I 
might have to give her. My mother herself milked her; and 
her rich milk was such dehcious and substantial food for us. 
We all felt so happy, at breakfast and supper, each with a cup- 
ful of that pure and refreshing milk ! 

My mother also cried out with grief as she saw the priest 
taking away the only means which heaven had left her to feed 
her children. 

Throwing myself into her arms, I asked her: *'Why have 
you given away our cow ? What will become of us ? We shall 
surely die of hunger." 

"Dear child," she answered, ''I did not think the priest 
would be so cruel as to take away the last resource which God 
had left us. Ah ! if I had believed him to be so unmerciful 
I would never have spoken to him as I did. As you say, my 
dear child, what will become of us? But have you not often 
read to me in your Bible that God is the father of the widow 
and the orphan? We shall pray to that God who is willing 
to, be your father and mine. He will listen to us, and see our 
tears. Let us kneel down and ask of Him to be merciful to 
us, and to give us back the support of which the priest has de- 
prived us." 

We both knelt down. She took my right hand with her 
left, and, lifting the other hand towards heaven, she offered a 
prayer to the God of mercies for her poor children such as I 
have never since heard. He words were often choked with her 
sobs. But when she could not speak with her voice, she 
spoke with her burning looks raised to heaven, and with her 
uplifted hand. I also prayed to God with her, and repeated 
her words, which were broken by my sobs. 

When her prayer was ended she remained for a long time 
pale and trembling. Cold sweat was flowing on her face, and 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 27 

she fell on the floor. I thought she was going to die. I ran 
for cold water, which I gave her, saying: "Dear mother! O, 
do not leave me alone upon earth!" After drinking a few 
drops she felt better, and taking my hand, she put it to her 
trembling lips ; then drawing me near her, and pressing me to 
her bosom, she said: ''Dear child, if you ever become a 
priest, I ask of you never to .be so hard-hearted towards poor 
widows as are the priests of to-day." While she said these 
words, I felt her burning tears fall upon my cheek. 

The memory of these tears has never left me. I felt them 
constantly during the twenty-five years I spent in preaching 
the inconceivable superstitions of Rome. 

I was not better, naturally, than many of the other priests. 
I believed, as they did, the impious fables of purgatory; and 
as well as they (I confess it to my shame), if I refused to take, 
or if I gave back the money to the poor, I accepted the money 
which the rich gave me for the masses I said to extinguish the 
flames of that fabulous place. But the remembrance of my 
mother's words and tears has kept me from being so cruel and 
unmerciful towards the poor widows as Romish priests are, 
for the most part, obliged to be. 

When my heart, depraved by the false and impious doctrines 
of Rome, was tempted to take money from widows and or- 
phans, under pretense of my long prayers, I then heard the 
voice of my mother, from the depth of her sepulchre, saying: 
"My dear child, do not be cruel towards poor widows and or- 
phans, as are the priests of to-day." If, during the days of 
my priesthood at Quebec, at Beauport and Kamarouska, I 
have given almost all that I had to feed and clothe the poor, 
especially the widows and orphans, it was not owing to my 
being better than others, but it was because my mother had 
spoken to me with words never to be forgotten. The Lord, 
I believe, had put into my mother's mouth those words, so 
simple but so full of elocjuence and beauty, as one of His great 
mercies to me. Those tears the liand of Rome has never been 
able to wipe off; those word?- of my mother the sophisms of 
Popery could not make me forget. 

How long, O Lord, shall that insolent enemy of the gospel. 



28 THE DHVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

the Church of Rome, be permitted to fatten herself upon the 
tears of the widow and of the orphan by means of that cruel 
and impious invention of paganism — purgatory? Wilt thou 
be merciful unto so many nations which are still the victims 
of that great imposture. Oh, do remove the veil which covers 
the eyes of the priests and people of Rome, as thou hast re- 
moved it from mine ! Make them to understand that their 
hopes of purification must not rest on these fabulous fires, but 
only on the blood of the Lamb shed on Calvary to save the 
world." 

HOW A PRIEST SECURED A FINE ROAST DINNER. 

This excellent and most respected Father Chiniquy, now a 
true minister of Christ, also tells of another instance of priestly 
infamy quite as appalling as the one here recited. He says 
that as he was walking the road, in company with another 
priest they "met a poor man who looked more like one out of 
the grave, than a living man ; he was covered with rags, and 
his pale and trembling lips indicated that he was reduced to the 
last degree of human misery. Taking off his hat, he said to 
Rev. Mr. Primeau, with a trembling voice, 'You know, Mr. 
le Cure, that my poor wife died, and was buried ten days ago, 
but I was too poor to have a funeral service sung the day she 
was buried, and I fear she is in purgatory, for almost every 
night I see her in my dreams, wrapped up in burning flames. 
She cries to me for help, and asks me to have a high mass 
sung for the rest of her soul. I come to ask you to be so kind 
as to sing that high mass for her.' 

" 'Of course," answered the curate, 'your wife is in the flames 
of purgatory, and suffers there the most unspeakable tortures, 
which can be reHeved only by the offering of the holy sacrifice 
of the mass. Give me five dollars and I will sing that mass 
to-morrow morning.' The poor man declared his utter inabil- 
ity to pay, and the priest replied : 'If you cannot pay, you can- 
not have any mass sung. You know it is the rule.' The poor 
man again declared, 'in a most touching way,' his great poverty 
and utter inability to pay, and said : 'I cannot leave my poor 
wife in the flames of purgatory ; if you cannot sing a high mass, 



HIS SBCkBT WORKS BXPOSBD. r^ 

will you please to say five low masses to rescue her soul from 
those burning flames?' 

"The priest turned toward him and said: 'Yes, I can say 
five masses to take the soul of your wife out of purgatory ; but 
give me five shilHngs, for you know the price of low mass is 
one shilling.' The poor man answered : 'I can no more give 
one dollar than I can give five. I have not a cent and my 
three poor little children are as naked and starving as myself.' 

" 'Well ! well !' answered the curate, 'when I passed your 
house this morning I saw two beautiful sucking pigs. Give 
me one of them, and I will say your five low masses.' " 

Father Chiniquy says that a day or two after this incident 
he was invited to take dinner with this priest in company with 
several other priests, and as he sat at the table: "The first 
dish was a sucking pig, roasted with an art and a perfection 
that I had never seen; it looked like a piece of gold, and its 
smell would have brought water to the lips of the most peni- 
tent anchorite." Chiniquy says he was very hungry, and 
very fond of roasted pig, and so — "I could not conceal that it 
was with real pleasure I saw the curate cutting a beautiful piece 
from the shoulder and ofTerin^ it to me. I was too hungry to 
be over-patient. I was carrying to my mouth the tempting 
and succulent mouthful, when, suddenly, the remembrance of 
the poor man's sucking pig came to my mind. I laid the piece 
on my plate with painful anxiety, looked at the curate, and 
said: 'Will you allow me to put to you a question about this 
dish?' Having been answered in the affirmative, Mr. Chin- 
iquy said : 'Is this the sucking pig of the poor man of yester- 
day?' With a convulsive fit of laughter, he replied: 'Yes; it 
is, just it. If we cannot take away the soul of the poor woman 
out of the flames of purgatory, we will, at all events, eat a fine 
sucking pig.* 

"The other thirteen priests filled the room with laughter to 
show their appreciation of their host's wit. 

"However, their laughter was not of long duration. With 
a feeling of shame and uncontrollable indignation, I pushed 
away my plate with such force, that it crossed the table, and 
nearly fell on the floor, saying, with a sentiment of disgust 



30 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

which no pen can describe: 'I would rather starve to death 
than to eat of that execrable food; I see in it the tears of the 
poor man; I see the blood of his starving children; it is the 
price of a soul. No! no! gentlemen, do not touch it. You 
know, Mr. Curate, how 30,000 priests and monks were slaugh- 
tered in France in the bloody days of 1792. It was for such 
iniquities as this that God Almighty visited the Church in 
France. The same future awaits us here in Canada, the very 
day that people shall awaken from their slumbers and see that, 
instead of being ministers of Christ, we are vile traders of 
souls, under the mask of religion.' " 

These last words of Mr. Chiniquy most fitly and truthfully 
characterize the Romish priesthood throughout , the world ; 
they are "vile traders of souls, under the mask of religion." 

PBIESTS CATJSE BIBLES TO BE BURNED IN NEW YORK STATE. 

It is not so long ago that the priests of Rome made bonfires 
of Bibles. This has been done even in our own country where 
this holy book is so free, and so much revered. Dr. Dowling, 
in his ''History of Romanism" gives an account of the public 
burning of Bibles, no longer ago than October 27, 1844, in 
Champlain, in the State of New York. He says : "The fol- 
lowing account of this sacrilegious outrage is from an official 
statement of facts, signed by four respectable citizens appoint- 
ed as a committee for that purpose." Their statement is as 
follows : "About the middle of October, a Mr. Selmont, a mis- 
sionary of the Jesuits, with one or more associates, came to 
Corlean, in this town, where the Catholic Church is located, 
and as they say in their own account given of their visit, by the 
direction of the bishop of Montreal. On their arrival they 
commenced a protracted meeting which lasted several weeks, 
and great numbers of Catholics from this and other towns at- 
tended day after day. After the meeting had progressed sev- 
eral days, and the way was prepared for it, an order was issued 
requiring all who had Bibles, or Testaments, to bring them 
to the priest, or lay them at the feet of the missionaries. The 
requirement was generally complied with, and day after day 
Bibles and Testaments were carried in, and after a sufficient 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 31 

number was collected they were burned. By the confession of 
Selmont there were several burnings, but only one in public. 
On the 27th of October, as given in testimony at the public 
meeting held there, Selmont, who was a prominent man in all 
the movements, brought out from the residence of the priest, 
which is near the church, as many Bibles as he could carry in 
his arms at three times, and placed them in a pile in the open 
yard, and then set fire to them, and burned them to ashes. 
This was done in the open day, and in the presence of many 
spectators." 

MANY VICTIMS AMONG SCHOOLMISTRESSES. 

"The Nun of Kenmare" says: Sometimes, too often, it is 
the schoolmistress who is the victim, and I speak of what I 
know. It was my infinitely sad lot to have been asked by an 
Enghsh bishop, and by an English cardinal, to take charge of 
a mission where the priest had ruined four of his schoolmis- 
tresses, one after the other. His last victim had a child whom 
she could not support, and so her pitiful story came out. The 
priest was not sent into banishment, as would have been done if 
he had committed any sin "against the Church," or offended his 
bishop. As he had only sinned against God, he was simply re- 
moved from one diocese to another, where he retained his rank 
and his honors. If such things are done in the green tree, 
what has been done in the dry? If such deeds as these are 
done, and even condoned in England to-day, what will be done 
in England when the church has the power to shield evildoers? 
And I have reason to know that this is not an uncommon case. 
I have heard the sad tale of many girls, teachers, who under 
the absolute control of the priest, have been led on step 
by step to evil, and no hand was stretched out to save them, 
because none dared to interfere with the priest who led them 
to ruin. I have heard their weary story of shame and sin, and 
how they were consoled and silenced in the confessional ; for 
with the infatuation of the Roman Catholic teaching they 
would, even in their misery, seek absolution from the very au- 
thors of their shame. Could the horrors of Pagan rites af- 
ford more terrible instances of depravity? And all this is hap- 




•^•'»y3».V'j>'^S> --■^^.V --^WKyg 



Priest Selmont Burning the Holy Bible. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 



33 



pening in England, and in America, of to-day, and all must be 
hidden at the peril of the ruined woman, because the sinner is 
a ''priest," and because the "Church" teaches, by example and 
custom, that it is a far greater sin to accuse a priest of sin, than 
to sin with a priest. 

I know that it will be said indignantly by Roman Catholics 
that the Church does not sanction these evils, but what use 
of denials, when facts are all the other way? No one can pos- 
sibly be intimate with Roman Cathohcs in private life without 
knowing how they fear and silence the least word of scandal 
where a priest is concerned. A church which finds it neces- 
sary to hide or deny evil which is well known to exist, must 
rest on a very insecure foundation, and it is a curious circum- 
stance, that while Roman Catholics will talk quite freely about 
priests who are guilty of intemperance, and seem to think it 
a matter of very little consequence, they will shrink with hor- 
ror from connecting the name of a priest with immorality. Yet 
one sin is most assuredly the parent of the other. 

I might fill volumes if I related the many instances which I 
have known of priests who drank to excess, and still remained 
honored members of the Church. More than one bishop and 
priest are at present in lunatic asylums in the United States, 
who have been the victims of this crime and of still greater 
crimes. I do not ask that my word shall be taken for these 
statements. It is not so long since that the whole world was 
made aware of the moral condition of one diocese in America 
by the highest possible authority in the diocese, the bishop him- 
self. 

The RepubHcan of June 29th, 1887, printed a letter 

from Bishop , of the Roman CathoHc diocese of — , 

which was brought out in court, and was never intended for 
publication ; but it reveals a sad state of affairs. In June, 1887, 
the bishop had placed a German priest over an Irish congrega- 
tion. The Irish people were indignant at this proceeding, 
and, as we shall show later, from Roman Catholic sources, there 
is no srnall fear on the part of certain American ecclesiastics 
lest there should be an open rupture between the Germar» 

an4 lm)\ ^l^m^nt in the Roman Catholic Q\\w^. J!^ th? Vfflt^4 



34 ^^^ DBVIL IN THU CHURCH: 

States, where the Church is far from being in the condition 
of reHgious harmony which the rulers of the Papacy would like 
the world to suppose. At last a gentleman interfered in the 
interests of peace, and the bishop was obHged, or at least 
thought it wise to justify himself. 

His defense was that the priests of his diocese were such a 
drunken lot that he was compelled to supply the parish as he 
did. He then gives a list by name of twenty-two priests who 
were received into his diocese from 1869 to 1876, but whom 
he was compelled to dismiss on account of immorality and 
drunkenness. Some of them are described as ''constantly 
drunk ;" one is "now going around from city to city a drunken 
wreck." The bishop wrote : 

''The constant shameful public and sacrilegious drunkenness 
of the three last-mentioned priests who were by my side at the 
cathedral determined me to put them and their kind out of my 
jurisdiction. One, after repeated drunkenness, went on a 
spree for a week in my house ; while in my house broke out at 
night,, got into a house of a disreputable woman in his drunk- 
enness, and was thrown out into the street, picked up drunk, 
recognized, and taken into a house and made sober, and put 
into a carriage and taken back to my house. That evening 
two others were told by me to prepare for the proper celebra- 
tion of the feast of the Patronage of for Easter Sunday. 

On Saturday night they stayed up all night drinking, carousing, 
and shouting. One fell down, blackened and almost broke his 
face in falling. Of course the two sacrilegious priests said 
mass the next day ; and one went into the pulpit and preached 
with his blacked and bruised face to the people of the cathedral. 
This was on the Feast of the Patron of the Diocese and of the 
Universal Church. It was time for me to begin a reforma- 
tion." 

From personal knowledge of several dioceses I must add 
that this state of things is far from uncommon. In the west- 
ern States of America the conditions of life are freer, and 
priests are more careless in their public conduct. I can only 
say that the very same condition of things, I have reason to 
l^eUfye, exists in q\]\^x places, but hi44^^ frPR) tl^p puWip viw. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 



35 



Since my arrival in America priests have often come to beg 
from me while they were in a state of intoxication, saying, that 
they came because it was well known I never refused a priest 
anything. This was true until I found out how my kindness 
was imposed upon. A priest who had treated both myself and 
the sisters most shameful in England, was sent with a high char- 
acter to America by his bishop, who wanted to get rid of him, 
and he also came to beg from me. I know* that there are 
priests who are living by their wits in every part of the world, 
the wretched victims of drink and immorality, diseased beyond 
description, and supported by the poorest of the people, who 
have a superstitious respect for a priest, no matter how de- 
graded. 

I have seen a priest drunk at the altar ; I have seen a priest 
who had been guilty of the ruin of four of his school teachers 
removed to another diocese, but only to be welcomed there 
and never the worse thought of for his sins, or the scandal he 
gave, public as it was. But if one dared to speak of it publicly, 
that indeed was a crime too terrible for forgiveness. 

I have seen a priest in Kenmare lay himself full length on a 
convent lounge and put his head in the lap of a sister who was 
sitting on it and who dared not condemn the outrage, because 
of the position which the priest held. She could only express 
her unutterable disgust and loathing of his drunken familiari- 
ties by her expression of contempt and hatred, and by not pay- 
ing the very least attention to him as he lay there. I do not 
say that such scenes are common in convents, but I know that 
such things are not altogether uncommon. 

HOW A PRIEST KEPT HIS VOW. 

Dr. Peter Bernes, secular priest, belonging to the parish 
church of the blessed Mary Magdalene (as they do call her), 
being 32 years of age, and dangerously ill, made a vow to the 
glorious saint, that if he should recover from that sickness, he 
would retire into a Carthusian convent. He recovered, and 
accordingly, renouncing his benefice and the world, he took 
the Carthusian habit, in the convent of the Conception, three 
miles from Sara^ossa. For the 3pace of three years he gav§ 



36 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

proofs of virtue and singular conformity witli the statutes of 
the order. His strict life was so crowned with discipliaes and 
mortifications, that the prior gave out, in the city, that he was 
a saint on earth. I went to see him with the father prior's con- 
sent, and indeed I thought there was something extraordinary 
in his countenance, and in his words ; and I had taken him my- 
self for a man ready to work miracles. Many people went to 
see him, and among the crowd a young woman, acquainted 
with him before he took the habit, who, unknown to the strict 
friars, got into his chamber, and there she was kept by the 
pious father eighteen months. In that time the prior used to 
visit the chamber, but the Senora was kept in the bed-chamber, 
till at last the prior went one night to consult him upon some 
business, and hearing a child cry, asked him what was the mat- 
ter; and though my friend Bernes endeavored to conceal the 
case, the prior found it out; and she, owning the thing, was 
turned out with the child, and the father was confined forever. 
And this was his virtue, fasting and abstinence from flesh, &c. 

CONFESSION OF A PRIEST AT THE POINT OF DEATH. 

"Since God Almighty is pleased to visit me with this sick- 
ness, I ought to make good use of the time I have to live, and 
desire you to help me with your prayers, and to take the trou- 
ble to write some substantial points of my confession, that you 
may perform, after my death, whatever I think may enable me 
in some measure to discharge my duty towards God and men. 
When I was ordained priest, I made a general confession of all 
my sins from my youth to that time ; and I wish I could now 
be as true a penitent as I was at that time ; but I hope, though 
I fear too late, that God will hear the prayer of my heart. 

I have served my parish sixteen years, and all my care has 
been to discover the tempers and inclinations of my parish- 
ioners, and I have been as happy in this world as unhappy be- 
fore my Saviour. I have in ready money fifteen thousand pis- 
toles, and I have given away more than six thousand. I had 
no patrimony, and my living is worth but four hundred pistoles 
a year, By this you may easily know, that my money is unlaw- 

ftfllj^ gottfinj ^i? I shall t^l! you, if God spare my We tjjj I mak^ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 37 

an end of my confession. There are in my parish sixteen hun- 
dred families, and more or less, I have defrauded them all some 
way or other. 

My thoughts have been impure ever since I began to hear 
confessions ; my words grave and severe with them all, and all 
my parishioners have respected and feared me. I have had so 
great an empire over them, that some of them knowing of my 
misdoings, have taken my defense in public. They have had 
in me a solicitor, in all emergencies, and I have omitted noth- 
ing to please them in outward appearance ; but my actions have 
been the most criminal of mankind; for as to my ecclesiastical 
duty, what I have done has been for custom's sake. . The nec- 
essary intention of a priest, in the administration of baptism 
and consecration, without which the sacraments are of no ef- 
fect, I confess I had it not several times, as you shall see, in 
the parish books ; and observe there, that all these names 
marked with a star, the baptism was not valid, for I' had no in- 
tention. And for this I can give no other reason than my 
malice and wickedness. Many of them are dead, for which I 
am heartily sorry. As for the times I have consecrated with- 
out intention, we must leave it to God Almighty's mercy, for 
the wrong done by it to the souls of my parishioners, and those 
in purgatory cannot be helped. 

As to the confessions and wills I have received from my par- 
ishioners at the point of their death, I do confess, I have made 
myself master of as much as I could, and by that means I have 
gathered together all my riches. I have sent this uiorning for 
fifty bulls, and I have given one hundred pistoles for the ben- 
efit of the holy crusade, by which his holiness secures my soul 
from eternal death. 

As to my duty towards God, I am guilty to the highest de- 
gree, for I have not loved Him ; I have neglected to say the 
private divine service at home every day; I have polluted his 
holy days by my grievous sins ; I have not minded my superiors 
in the respect due to them ; and I have been the cause of many 
innocent deaths. I have produced, by remedies, sixty abor- 
tions, making the fathers pjf the children their murdergtrs; b^^- 
3 



38 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: ■ ' ' ' 

sides many others intended, though not executed, by some un- 
expected accident. 

As to the sixth commandment, I cannot confess my particu- 
lars, but by general heads, my sins. I confess, in the first 
place, that I have frequented the parish club twelve years. We 
were only six parish priests in it ; and there we did consult and 
contrive all the ways to satisfy our passions. Everybody had 
a list of the handsomest women in the parish, and when one 
had a fancy to see any woman, remarkable for her beauty, in 
another's parish, the priest of her parish sent for her to his 
own house; and having prepared the way of wickedness, the 
other had nothing to do but to meet her there, and fulfil his de- 
sires; and so we have served one another these twelve years 
past. Our method has been, to persuade the husbands and 
fathers not to hinder them any spiritual comfort ; and to the 
ladies to persuade them to be subject to our advice and will; 
and that in so doing, they should have liberty at any time to 
go out on pretense of communicating some spiritual business 
to the priest. And if they refused to do it, then we should 
speak to their husbands and fathers not to let them go out at 
all; or, which would be worse for them, we should inform 
against them to the holy tribunal of the inquisition. And by 
these diabolical persuasions they were at our command, with- 
out fear of revealing the secret. 

I have spared no woman of my parish, whom I had a fancy 
for, and many other of my brethren's parishes; but I cannot 
tell the number. I have sixty nepotes alive, of several wo- 
men. But my principal care ought to be of those that I have 
by the two young women I keep at home since their parents 
died. Both are sisters, and I had by the eldest two boys, and 
by the youngest, one; and one which I had by my own sister 
is dead. Therefore I leave to my sister five thousand pistoles, 
upon condition that she would enter as a nun in St. Bernard's 
monastery, and upon the same condition I leave two thousand 
pistoles apiece to the two young women ; and the remainder I 
leave to my three nepotes under the care of Mossen John Per- 
alta, and ordering that they should be heirs to one another if 
any of them should die before they are settled in the world, 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 39 

and if all should die, I leave the money to the treasury of the 
church, for the benefit of the souls in purgatory. Item : I or- 
der that all the papers of such a little trunk be burnt after my 
confession is over (which was done accordingly), and that the 
holy bull of the dead be bought before I die, that I may have 
the comfort of having at home the Pope's pass for the next 
world. Now I ask your penance and absolution for all the sins 
reserved in all the bulls, from the first Pope ; for which pur- 
pose I have taken the bull of privileges in such cases as mine." 

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! 

A Romish priest is drawn towards money as unerringly as is 
the needle towards the pole ; and wherever it exists among the 
faithful, he is sure to get the lion's share of it. 

The priest's grip is not as strong upon the younger members 
of his flock in this country as in some other lands ; this fact is 
illustrated by a young Irishman who went to the priest in one 
of our eastern cities to make arrangements for being married. 

The priest knowing that the bride, at least, had considerable 
money, told him that he should charge him twenty-five dollars 
for performing the ceremony. The young man said : 

"I think it is altogether too much, your reverence." 

"Then I shan't marry you." 

''Then I shall go and get somebody else to do it.'* 

"Then I will excommunicate you." 

"Then I will go to another church." 

"Then you shan't have the girl." 

"Perhaps I can get another." 

"What! what! Do you meet me thus?" 

"Indeed, your reverence, I'll tell you what I have been think- 
ing of late. I've been thinking that the churches and the girls 
are very much alike." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why, you know, if one won't have you, another will." 

Only a Romanist who had breathed the free air of our be- 
loved land dare speak to a priest after that fashion. This is 
exceptional. The great mass of Romanists are so much afraid 
of the priestly power, that they hand over their cash with all 



40 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

promptness when the clerical highwayman levels the anath- 
emas of the church at their heads, and commands them to 
stand and deliver. 

BLOODY FIGHT IN CHURCH BETWEEN TWO PRIESTS. 

The readers of the newspapers were amazed on Monday 
morning, February 12, 1894, with the startling headlines telHng 
of an assault made by Father Patrick McDonald upon priest 
W. J. Hill in St. Paul's Church, corner Court and Congress 
streets, Brooklyn, N. Y., on February 1.1, at morning mass, 
and that the congregation was so paralyzed with fear that it 
kept them from going to the help of their priest because of 
the superstition, that to enter the sanctuary would cause their 

death. 

There lay the prostrate priest, there stood the people, no one 
daring to go to his help, forgetful of the truth that since the 
rending of the veil of the temple, at the death of Christ on Cal- 
vary, the only sacred place has been the human soul, tenanted 
by the Holy Ghost. 

Priest McDonald, having punished his enemy, gossip says' 
for the sake of a woman, proceeded calmly to his work, and 
turning to the altar took the golden chalice from the recep- 
tacle and calmly proceeded to read the creed. 

Father Hill rose, and, stepping up to Father McDonald, laid 
his hand upon his shoulder. 

''You have desecrated the sanctuary," he said, "and you 
must not continue the service. Let me read the creed." 

As Father Hill held out his right hand to receive the chalice, 
Father McDonald drew himself up, and raising his clenched 
fist, struck Father Hill a heavy blow just behind the left ear. 

Father Hill reeled and toppled over and down the steps, fall- 
ing headlong against the rail. 

Father McDonald then laid the chalice upon the altar and 
leaped upon Father Hill, whom he kicked and beat with his 

fists. 

Wild excitement now prevailed among the congregation. 
Reverence and respect for their surroundings had helped them 
in restraint up to this time. Now those in front leaped over 




Two Figlitine' Priests in Church. 



42 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

pews to the rescue of their pastor. It was manifest that Fea- 
ther McDonald was very angry, and that Father Hill was com- 
pletely at his mercy. Members of the congregation sprang 
upon Father McDonald and literally wrenched him from ofif 
Father Hill. Women and children screamed and persons in 
the rear of the church made a rush for the street. 

Policeman Reynolds of the Third Precinct was on duty in 
front of the church and he ran into the edifice. He was quick- 
ly at the side of Father McDonald, who was surrounded by a 
dozen men. 

Father Hill, with bleeding forehead and swollen face, spoke 
to the congregation, telling them the service would not be con- 
tinued and asking them to leave tlje church as quietly as pos- 
sible. He was then escorted to the rectory on Congress street. 

Father McDonald was led to the vestry and told to take of¥ 
his priestly garments. This he refused to do, and he was seiz- 
ed and stripped of them. Pie protested vigorously against 
this, and his captors had a struggle with him. The task was 
finally accomplished and Father McDonald was taken to the 
rectory and up to his apartments, where he became calmer. 

Father Hill notified Bishop McDonnell of the affair,. and the 
bishop instructed Vicar-General McNamara to call 'Upon Fa- 
ther McDonald and act as he deemed best for the interest of 
the church. When he had learned the story from Father Hill 
the vicar-general suspended Father McDonald, and ordered 
him to be taken as a prisoner to St. Peter's Hospital. Father 
McDonald offered no resistance to this order. After he had 
l)een taken to the hospital, however, he became violent, and a 
messenger was despatched to police headquarters for assist- 
ance to restrain him. A policeman was sent to the hospital 
from the Third Precinct. 

The police of the Third Precinct made no report of the af- 
fair to police headquarters, and when the newspaper reporters 
questioned them about it the sergeant in charge denied all 
knowledge of it. He said no record of such a case had been 
entered on the blotter. 

Father McDonald is about thirty years old and was educated 
in Rome. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 43 

THE PRIEST WHO HAD A WIFE. 

The newspapers have brought to hght a strange romance of 
the confessional, the substance of which is as foHows: Rev. 
Wilham A. Ward, a handsome young priest of Hull, England, 
fell in love with a beautiful young lady, Mary Wrighitt, who 
frequently came to the young priest to confess. The priest 
renounced his vows of celibacy, and took upon him the vows 
of sacred matrimony. He and the beautiful maiden of nine- 
teen were married by a Protestant clergyman in Liverpool. 
Discarded by the Church and their friends, they left for Chica- 
go, America. Not succeeding in business, for which his pro- 
fession had unfitted him, he entered a store in Chicago on the 
30th of January, 1876, to solicit employment, making the remark 
that ''his poor wife was dying at home." A gentleman pres- 
ent, who overheard the remark, inquired of Mr. Ward his ad- 
dress and circumstances, called and found Mr. Ward with his 
wife in the most straightened circumstances. Mrs. W. lay ap- 
parently dying, after giving birth to twin children four days 
before. Mrs. F., wife of the above gentleman, visited and 
cared for Mrs. Ward, and employment was found for Mr. W. 
as a classical tutor. The wife recovered, the children grew 
fast, and Mr. Ward's circmnstances improved rapidly, so that 
he announced for opening an academy, October i, 1877, when 
suddenly the priest left his wife to return to his ministry. The 
Church had never lost sight of them. Efforts were made to 
separate them by the priesthood. His wife was about to give 
birth to another child. In her weakness she was persuaded to 
give him up to tlie Church. TTc left for llic ministry at Du- 
buque, to which Rislu^p I**nlc\' cippointc^^l him. and Mrs. Ward 
was taken to vSt. Jvouis, where she gave birth to another child. 
Her other children were taken to a Catholic orphan asylum in 
Chicago, where, it was supposed, the twin sister died, and little 
Willie, the twin brother, was living at the latest date, but Mrs. 
Ward lay distracted, crushed, and broken-hearted as a deserted 
wife in St. Louis, from which she wrote to her former lady 
friend in Chicago to take care of her little boy Willie. Mrs. 
Ward charged the bishop and priests as the cause of separat- 
ing her husband from her. Such is Rome ''forbidding to 



44 THE, DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

marry." The late Cardinal Antonelli could, live in adultery 
with his mistress in Rome for years, the Church throwing her 
mantle of charity over him ; but had he obeyed the law of God 
and married, he would have been expelled and excommuni- 
cated from the Church, and sent to perdition. 

NUMEROUS DEAD BODIES OF INFANTS FOUND NEAR A 

NUNNERY. 

One summer early in the thirties the water in the St. Law- 
rence at Montreal became extremely low, so low, indeed, that 
the shore line had receded a considerable distance, leaving ex- 
posed a wide strip of river bottom which was reeking with filth 
that had been thrown there or washed through the city sewers 
into the river. There was a nunnery standing close to the 
bank of the river, and from it a large deep sewer extended, run- 
ning out into the stream. Ordinarily the outlet of this sewer 
would be invisible, because submerged ; but this particular sum- 
mer it was left high and dry, and exposed to the public view, 
as was also a piece of river bottom adjoining and adjacent to it. 
What a foul pestilential spot was that; and what a horrible 
sight was there to behold; for in the sewer, and in the deep 
mud for many rods around its mouth, were the dead bodies 
and the skeletons of hundreds of infants that had been thrown 
into the vaults of the nunnery and washed down through the 
sewer. There they lay festering and rotting in the sun, and 
poisoning the air with deadly aroma; a reeking, filthy, horrible 
mass. The spot was visited by thousands, including citizens 
of Montreal, of Quebec, and of small towns adjacent. Indeed, 
quite a number of people came a long distance to see and ver- 
ify what they could not believe from rumor or hearsay. Every 
one was indignant, in fact the feeling was intense. Against 
whom? Against the female inmates of the nunnery and the 
priests — the mothers and fathers of these hundreds of poor 
murdered infants. Catholics and Protestants alike were loud 
and severe in their denunciation of these people of crime and 
sin; but what was done? 

Nothing, absolutely nothing. The city of Montreal was in 
the hands of the Romish clergy, what could be done? Who 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 45 

would dare to prosecute or even to investigate? Woe to him 
who had the temerity to do so ; no protection could be secured 
against his priestly enemies and their trembling, cringing- 
slaves. He would be threatened with assassination and the 
deed might soon follow the threat ; or the torch would be ap- 
plied to his dwelling, and poison be given to his cow or his 
horse. 

A similar circumstance to the one just related occurred in 
the same city more recently, the difference being in degree 
only. The river was not so low as on the former occasion, 
the number of bodies and skeletons exposed were few in com- 
parison. There are many living witnesses to this ghastly sight. 

If we say to Romish priests and nuns, "You have no right 
to imprison and cowhide, to wear out the lives of helpless in- 
mates," Romanists declare that we are interfering with relig- 
ious liberty. As President Grant said to the Mormons, we 
would say to Romanists : ''It is not with your religion we 
would interfere, but with your practices." 

YOUNG LADY SPIRITED AWAY BY A PRIEST. 

"In our neighborhood, close to my father's home, Uved a 

very beautiful girl. She sang and played well. A priest, who 

is a very fine musician, became acquainted with her and visited 

her and sang with her. No one apprehended any danger. He 

came occasionally and took her out riding. One day she did 

not come back. The priest went away, and none knew where 

they had gone. Two years had gone when she came to my 

father's house, her own parents having moved from the town, 

and she told us that the priest carried her to a nunnery, where, 

in a beautiful room, she was confined. A child was born to her 

and taken from her, and on a recent day of great excitement 

she saw a way of escape and embraced it, and came home to 

find her household gone. My father took her away, and now 

the police and all the power of Rome is being used to find the 

girl." 

FESTIVITIES IN A PARSONAGE. 

Says Father Chiniquy : "I had never before been present at 
a priest's dinner. The honorable position given me at that 



46 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

little fete permitted me to see it in all its details, and nothing 
could equal the curiosity with which I sought to hear and see 
all that was said and done by the joyous guests. 

Besides Mr. Varin and his vicar there were three other priests 
who were artistically placed in the midst of the most beautiful 
ladies of the company. The ladies, after honoring us with 
their presence for an hour or so, left the table and retired to 
the drawing-room. Scarcely had the last lady disappeared 
when Mr. Varin rose and said : 

"Gentlemen, let us drink to the health of these amiable la- 
dies, whose presence has thrown so many charms over the first 
part of our little fete." 

Following the example of Mr. Varin, each guest filled and 
emptied his long wine-glass in honor of the ladies. 

'Squire Tache then proposed "The health of the most ven- 
erable and beloved priest of Canada, the Rev. Mr. Varin." 
Again the glasses were filled and emptied, except mine; for 
I had been placed at the side of my uncle Dionne, who, sternly 
looking at me as soon as I had emptied my first glass, said : "If 
you drink another I will send you from the table. A little boy 
like you should not drink, but only touch the glass with his 
lips." 

It would be difficult to count the healths which were drank 
after the ladies had left us. After each health a song or a 
story was called for, several of which were followed by ap- 
plause, shouts of joy, and convulsive laughter. 

When my turn to propose a h.ealth came I wished to oe ex- 
cused, but they would not exempt me. So I had to say about 
whose health I was most interested. I rose upon my two 
short legs, and turning to Mr. Varin, I said, "Let us drink to 
the health of our Holy Father, the Pope." 

Nobody had yet thought of our Holy Father, the Pope, and 
the name, mentioned under such circumstances by a child, ap- 
peared so droll to the priests and their merry guests that they 
burst into laughter, stamped their feet and shouted, "Bravo ! 
bravo ! To the health of the Pope !" Every one stood up, and 
at the invitation of Mr. Varin, the glasses were filled and emp- 
tied as usual. 




Festivities iii u Pursojia^e, 



4$ THE DETIL /^ THE CHCkCM: 

So many healths could not be drunk \^*ithout their natural 
eitect — mtoxication. Tlve tirst tliat was overcome was a priest, 
Noel by name. He was a tall man, and a great drinker. I 
had noticed more than once, that instead of taking his ^^'ine- 
glass he drank from a large tumbler. The tirst s^^nptoms of 
his intoxication, instead of dra\%'ing sympathy from his friends, 
only increased their noisy bursts of laughter. He endeavored 
to take a bottle to fill his glass, but his hand shook, and the 
bottle, falling on the floor, ^^-as broken to pieces. Wishing to 
keep up his merriment he beg^an to sing a bacchic song, but 
could not finish. He dropped his head on the table, quite over- 
come, and trpng to rise, he fell liea^*ily upon his chair. \Miile 
all this took place the other priests and all the giiests looked 
at him, laughing loudly. At last, making a desperate efi'ort. 
he rose, but after taking two or three steps, fell headlong on 
the fioor. His two neighbors went to help him, but they were 
not in a condition to help him. T\\'ice they rolled with him im- 
der the table. At length another, less altected by the fumes 
of wine, took him by the feet and dragged him into an adjoin- 
ing room, where they left him. 

The first scere seemed strange enough to me. for I had 
never before seen a priest intoxicated. But what astonished 
me most was the laughter of Uie other priests over tliat spec- 
tacle. Another scene, however, soon followed which made me 
sadder. My young companion and friend, Acliilles Tache. 
had not been warned, as I had, only to touch the \\'ine \\*ith liis 
lips. More than once he had emptied iiis glass. He also 
roUed upon the floor before the e} es of his father, who was too 
full of wine to help him. He cried aloud, "I am choking.** I 
tried to Hft him up, but I was not strong enough. I ran for 
liis mother. She came, accompanied by another lady, but the 
\*icar had carried him into another room, where he fell asleep 
after ha^-ing tllro^\^l oti the ^^-ine he had taken. 

Poor Achilles! he was learning in the house of his own 
priest, to take the first step of that hfe of debauchery and 
drunkenness which twelve or fifteen years later was to rob him 
of his manor, take from him his wife and children, and to make 



HIS SECRBT WORKS EXFOSUD. 49 

him fall a victim to the bloody hand of a murderer upon the 
solitary shores of Kamouraska! 

This first and sad experience which I made of the real and 
intimate Hfe of the Roman Catholic priest was so deeply en- 
graved on my memory that I still remember with shame the 
bacchic song which the priest Morin had taught me, and which 
I had sang on that occasion. 

DBUNKEN PRIEST PLAYS BLIND MAN'S BUPF. 

When the priests and their friends had sung, laughed and 
drank for more than an hour, Mr. Varin rose and said : "The 
ladies must not be left alone all evening. Will not our joy and 
happiness be doubled if they are pleased to share them with 
us?" ■ 

This proposition was received with applause, and we passed 
into the drawing-room, where the ladies awaited us. 

Several pieces of music, well executed, gave new life to this 
part of the entertainment. This resource, however, was soon 
exhausted. Besides, some of the ladies could well see that 
their husbands were half drunk, and they felt ashamed. Ma- 
dam Tache could not conceal the grief she felt, caused by what 
had happened to her dear Achilles. Had she some presenti- 
ment, as many persons have, of the tears which she was to shed 
on one day on his account? Was the vision of a mutilated 
and bloody corpse — the corpse of her own drunk.en son fallen 
dead, under the blow of an assassin's dagger, before her eyes ? 

Mr. Varin feared nothing more than an interruption in those 
hours of lively pleasure, of which his life was full, and which 
took place in his parsonage. 

''Well, w^ll, ladies and gentlemen, let us entertain no dark 
thoughts on this evening, the happiest of my Ufe ! Let us play 
blind man's buff." 

'Xet us play blind man's buff!" was repeated by everybody. 

On hearing this noise, the gentlemen who were half asleep 
by the fumes of wine seemed to awaken as if from a long dream. 
Young gentlemen clapped their hands ; ladies, young and old, 
congratulated one another on the happy idea. 

''But whose eyes shall be covered farst?" ask^cj the priest, 



50 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"Yours, Mr. Varin," cried all the ladies. "We look to you 
for the good example, and we shall follow it." 

"The power and unanimity of the jury by which I am con- 
demned cannot be resisted. I feel that there is no appeal. I 
must submit." 

Immediately one of the ladies placed her nicely perfumed 
handkerchief over the eyes of her priest, took him by the hand, 
led him to an angle of the room, and having pushed him gently 
with her delicate hand, said: "Mr. Blindman! Let everyone 
flee ! Woe to him who is caught !" 

There is nothing more curious and comical than to see a 
man walk when he is under the influence of wine, especially if 
he wishes nobody to notice it. How stiff and straight he keeps 
his legs ! How learned and complicated, in order to keep his 
equilibrium, are his motions to right and left ! Such was the 
position of priest Varin. He was not very drunk. Though 
he had taken a large quantity of wine, he did not fall. He car- 
ried with wonderful courage the weight with which he was la- 
den. The wine he had drank would have intoxicated three 
ordinary men; but such was his capacity for drinking, that he 
could still walk without falling. However, his condition was 
sadly betrayed by each step he took and by each word he spoke. 
Nothing, therefore, was more comical than the first steps of 
the poor priest in his efforts to lay hold of somebody in order to 
pass his band to him. He would take one forward and two 
backward steps, and would then stagger to the right and to 
the left. Everybody laughed to tears. One after another 
they would all either pinch him or touch him gently on the 
hand, arm or shoulder, and passing rapidly off would exclaim 
"Run away!" 

The priest went to the right and then to the left, threw his 
arms suddenly now here and then there. His legs evidently 
bent under their burden; he panted, perspired, coughed, and 
everyone began to fear that the trial might be carried too far, 
and beyond propriety. But suddenly, by a happy turn he 
caught the arm of a lady who in teasing him had come too 
near. In vain the lady tried to escape. She struggles, turns 
round, but the priest's hand holds her firmly. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 51 

i 

While holding his victim with his right hand he wishes to 
touch her head with his left, in order to know and name the 
pretty bird he had caught. But at that moment his legs gave 
way. He falls, and drags with him his beautiful parishioner. 
She turns upon him in order to escape, but he soon turns on 
her in order to hold her better! 

All this, though the affair of a moment, was long enough 
to cause the ladies to blush and cover their faces. Never in 
all my life did I see anything so shameful as that scene.' This 
ended the game. Everyone felt ashamed. I make a mistake 
when I say everyone, because the men were almost all too in- 
toxicated to blush. The priests also were either too drunk or 
too much accustomed to such scenes to be ashamed. 

On the following day every one of those priests celebrated 
mass, and ate what they called the body and blood, the soul 
and divinity of Jesus Christ, just as if they had spent the pre- 
vious evening in prayer and meditation on the laws of God ! 
He, Mr. Varin, was the archpriest of the important part of the 
diocese of Quebec from La Rivierre Quelle to Gaspe. 

Thus, O perfidious Church of Rome, thou deceivest the na- 
tions who follow thee, and ruinest even the priests whom thou 
makest thy slaves." 

woRSHippnsra the beast. 

Men who drink, and want some kind of a religion, can join 
Rome. A drunkard can bow down at one end of the church 
and be ministered unto by a drunkard at the altar. If one goes 
to heaven, the other will ; and so the blind lead the bhnd, and 
both shall fall into the ditch of destruction at last. The beast- 
ly has rule. A man who trifles with virtue finds a congenial 
home in the Church of Rome. Says one who was once within 
them, ''The sober American people will scarcely believe what 
I have to say about the intemperance of the priests, although 
I shall not say all the truth. They feast almost daily ; they drink 
to excess; they gamble; and, when their money is gone they 
GAMBLE THEIR MASSES- The winner says to the loser, 
'You will say ten, twenty masses for me.' He therefore keeps 
for himself the money he has received from some deluded 



52 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

woman, and the loser has to say them. Priests call their days 
of revelling after some notable battle. Empty bottles they call 
corpses. They often quarrel on their Marengo or Austerlitz 
day when drmik, and roll among their bottles in utter helpless- 
ness." 

God holds the American people responsible for the flatter- 
ing wrong-doing. They know better, or might know better. 
If any man worships the beast, he shall drink of the wine of the 
wrath of God." 

PRIEST BAPTIZES INFANTS— MOTHER ABBESS MURDERS 

THEM. 

The Slaughter of the Innocents receives the sanction of 
Rome. "The modus operandi is this. The infallible Church 
teaches that without baptism even infants cannot go to heaven. 
The holy Church, not caring much how the aforesaid infants 
may come into this world", but anxious that they should go out 
of it according to the ritual of the Church, insists that the in- 
fant shall be baptized. That being done, and its soul being 
thus fitted for heaven, the mother abbess generally takes be- 
tween her holy fingers the nostrils of the infant, and in the 
name of the infallible Church consigns it to the care of the Al- 
mighty; and I beg to state from my own personal knowledge 
through the confessional, that the father is, in nearly all cases, 
the individual who baptizes it. 

ROME TREADING MORALITY UNDER HER FEET. 

"That which is a crime in the state is a practice in some con- 
vents. Luther, in his 'Table Talk,' says that in his time a pool 
was cleaned out in the vicinity of a convent, and the bottom 
was almost Hterally paved with the bones of infants." 

Any scoundrel tired of a woman can embrace the religious 
state, enter a monastery, and be rid of her, though he has 
ruined her under promise of marriage. Statistics prove that 
in no city is there so great a number of children born out of 
wedlock as in Rome; and it is in Rome also that the greatest 
number of infanticides take place. This must ever be the case 




to 

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<v 

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H- 1 

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09 

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54 ^HB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

with a wealthy unmarried priesthood and a poor and ignorant 
population. 

In Rome there are from thirty to forty thousand monks and 
nuns condemned to the material interests of the Vatican, to 
an impossible chastity, to violence against nature, for which 
she avenges herself by treading under her feet morality, and 
compelling families and the state to bear the consequences of 
this condition of violence in which the Church has placed it. 
Humanity and morality are paying the cost in Europe of eight 
centuries of temporal power, of the ambition of the pontificate, 
and from it come the blood-stains that disgrace the Eternal 
City. 

PRIESTS HOLD HIGH CARNIVAL. 

Eather Chiniquy says, ''I went to St. Mary's University two 
hours ahead of time. Never did I see such a band of jolly fel- 
lows, their dissipation and laughter, their exchange of witty, 
and too often unbecoming expressions; the tremendous noise 
they made in addressing each other at a distance. Their Hello, 
Patrick!' 'Hello, Murphy!' 'Hello, O'Brien!' 'How do you 
do?' 'How is Bridget?' 'Marguerite still with you?' and the 
answer, 'Yes, yes ! She will not leave me ;' or, 'No, no ! The 
crazy girl is gone,' were invariably followed by outbursts of 
laughter. Though nine-tenths of them were evidently under 
the influence of intoxicating drinks, not one of them could be 
said to be drunk. But the strong odor of alcohol, mixed with 
the smoke of cigars, soon poisoned the air and made it suffo- 
cating. I had withdrawn into a corner alone in order to ob- 
serve everything. What stranger in entering this large hall, 
would have suspected that these men were about to begin one 
of the most solemn and sacred actions of a priest of Jesus 
Christ? With the exception of five or six, they looked more 
like a band of carousing raftsmen than priests. About an hour 
before the opening of the exercises I saw one of the priests 
with hat in hand, accompanied by two of the fattest and most 
florid of the band, going to every one, collecting money ; and 
with the utmost liberality and pleasure each one threw his bank 
bills into the hat. I supposed that this collection was to pay 
our board during the retreat and I prepared fifteen dollars 1 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 55 

was to give. When they came near me, the big hat was liter- 
ally filled with five and ten dollar bills. Before handing my 
money to them, I asked, 'What is the object of that collection?' 
'Ah, ah !' they answered with a hearty laugh, is it possible that 
you do not know it yet? Don't you know that when we are so 
crowded as we will be here this week the rooms are apt to be- 
come too warm and we get thirsty? then a little drop to cool 
the throat and quench the thirst is needed?' " 

They insisted on obtaining drink. Father Chiniquy remon- 
strated. They had their way. Five hundred dollars were 
spent for intoxicating liquors. The drinking began about nine 
o'clock, after sermons, meditations, and confessions. Some 
were handing the bottles from bed to bed, while others were 
carrying them to those at a distance, — at first with the least 
noise possible, but half an hour had not elapsed before the al- 
cohol was beginning to unloose their tongues and upset the 
brain. Then the witty stories were followed by the most in- 
decent and shameful recitals. Then the songs followed by the 
barking of dogs, and the croaking of frogs, and the howling of 
wolves, in a word, the cries of all kinds of beasts, often mixed 
with the most lascivious songs, the most infamous anecdotes, 
flying from bed to bed, from room to room, until one or two 
o'clock in the morning. One night three priests were taken 
with delirium tremens almost at the same time. For three 
days Father Chiniquy stood it and then in disgust went to 
Bishop Spaulding and O' Reagan with his complaints. It was 
then declared that the first night six prostitutes dressed as 
gentlemen, and on a subsequent night twelve, came to the uni- 
versity after dark, and went directed by signals to those who 
had invited them. 

Policemen reported the condition of affairs to the bishop. 
He replied, "Do you think I am going to come down from 
m}^ dignity of bishop to hear the reports of degraded police- 
men or vile spies? Shall I become the spy of my priests? If 
they want to go to hell let them go. I am not more obliged 
or more able than God himself to stop them. Does God stop 
them? Does he punish them? No. Well, you cannot ex- 



56 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

pect from me more zeal, more power than in our common 
God.'^ 

"Thirteen priests had been taken to the police station from 
houses of ill-fame where they were rioting and fighting." In 
these extracts, we can see the education received by the priests. 
It is not strange that they practiced what they learned in the 
retreat, when they reached the world outside. 

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND FAMILIES RUINED IN ONE YEAR. 

The Romish priests were the great agents inciting the 
French Papists to exterminate the Huguenots. After Henry 
^.11 deserted the league, they incessantly resounded the cry of 
war, and blood, and death. In one year only, it is stated, that 
100,000 families were ruined, and during the contest 500,000 
Papists were murdered. The Crusaders of the league were so 
infuriated and bewitched, that when they could plunder or 
even carry away the head of their father, brother, relative, or 
neighbor, if he did not belong to the league, it was considered 
the most acceptable work of God; and the Romish priests 
taught the bHnded people that the more robberies they perpe- 
trated, the more rapes they committed, and the more murders 
they executed, the greater would be their reward in heaven. — 
Satyre Menippe, Vol. 2, page 444; and Vol. 3, pages 274, 275. 

PRIESTS MURDERING THEIR OWN PARENTS. 

In the Memoires de la Ligue, Tom. 3, page 388, are detailed 
' those facts in reference to the irreligion and the profligacy of 
the Roman priests and their minions, who form the confeder- 
acy called the Leaguers. Where was ever more sacrilege, 
more rapes, and blasphemies than among the troops of the 
league. They even obliged the priests to enact their super- 
stitious mummery, and christen calves, sheep, chickens, and 
give them the names of different fish that they might eat them 
in Lent. They violated women and girls of every age and 
condition; robbed the mass house altars, and miu'dered their 
own parents and relatives, as their ordinary employment. "The 
mass and religion were in their mouths, but atheism in their 
hearts and actions." "To violate all laws divine and human 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. ^-j 

is the infallible mark and true character of a Papist zealot." — 
D'Aubigne Hist. Univers. Tom. i; Lib. 2; Chap 26.— Journal 
de Henry HI, page 121. — Satyre Menippc, Vol. 3, page 335. 

BISHOPS AND PRIESTS HAVE PLENTY OF ILL-GOTTEN GOLD. 

The Irish priest is always calling out for union between the 
priest and the people, a union according to his view, like that 
of the wolf and the lamb, or of the tiger and the kid. An Irish- 
American priest once stated in my hearing that the Irish priest 
was a greater obstacle to Ireland's happiness, a more positive 
hindrance to her prosperity, a more deadly enemy to her peo- 
ple, than that very much-abused individual, the Irish landlord. 
The truth of this arraignment of Ireland's priesthood by one of 
their cloth, a gentleman high in the confidence of the Romanist 
bishops of America, I could not reaHze until I had visited Ire- 
land myself. Let me here incidentally remark that the justice 
of his serious charge upon the priestly "patriots" is fully borne 
out by the reports of a Roman envoy, the late Cardinal Persico, 
who, by special appointment of the Pope, visited Ireland a few 
years ago to report on its social and religious condition. 

''There are in Ireland,' with a Roman Catholic population of 
three and a quarter millions, twenty-five Episcopal Sees in com- 
munion with Rome, The twenty-five Irish bishops, not count- 
ing auxiliaries and coadjutors, received an average of ^5,000, 
or $25,000 a year. True it is that they have no fixed salaries, 
but their average revenue, received from parochial incomes, 
dispensation moneys, and gifts from clergy and laity is rather 
above than below this amount. In Belgium six millions of 
Roman Catholics are served by five bishops, paid liberal, but 
much smaller salaries by the public, yet no one has ever heard 
the Belgian bishops calling for an increase of salary, or the 
Belgian people for an increase of bishops. Oh, long suffering, 
poverty-stricken Ireland, thou art surely the prelates' paradise. 
No wonder the priests call for union between the priests and 
people. There are in Ireland about one thousand parish priests 
and administrators' parishes. The average salary of these 
easy-going and well>fed gentlemen, may, at a very modest esti- 
mate indeed, be set down at one thousand pounds (or five thou- 



58 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

sand dollars) per annum. Lest any one think I exaggerate in 
this regard, let me mention that a priest in charge of a parish^ 
frequently exacts as high a fee as five hundred dollars for per- 
forming the marriage ceremony. He often gets a higher fig- 
ure, for by a well contrived priestly trick, it is made a matter 
of rivalry among the poor people as to which shall give the 
largest sum to "his reverence" on the occasion of a daughter's 
marriage. Baptisms and funerals are also fruitful sources of 
income to the Irish priesthood. The highest ambition of an 
Irish farmer is to have a son a priest. It not only gives the 
family a higher standing, but is a certain means of making the 
family well off in worldly goods. 

"The 'souls in purgatory' are at all times in requisition to 
fill the priest's exchequer. Several months of close observa- 
tion confirms my belief that a more greedy, rapacious, selfish 
body of men cannot be found in this world of ours than the 
priesthood of Ireland. As the Irish priest is not an exemplar 
in the matter of sobriety, neither is he a paragon of morality. 
His so-called vows of ceHbacy is often the cover for wrong 
doing of the most shameful cliaracter. Numerous instances of 
such criminality were related to me by' strict and devout Irish 
Roman Catholics, but the victims of lecherous priests, and the 
friends of those victims fear to bring those men to justice, lest 
God's curse might fall upon them — a delusion assiduously nur- 
tured and strengthened by the priests themselves. The streets 
of Ireland's towns and villages swarm with beggars, while the 
coffers of bishops and priests are bursting with ill-gotten gold. 

"The great friend and backer of the priest in every parish is 
usually the rumseller. His house is frequented, his table pat- 
ronized by the priestly visitor. This is to be especially 
noticed if the rumseller happens to have one or two pretty 
daughters, and the daughters of Erin, it must be said, are very 
handsome ; indeed, Romanism and rum go hand in hand, as 
well in Ireland as in America, to darken homes, destroy fami- 
lies and decimate whole communities. I know of one village 
of six hundred souls, in the south of Ireland, with thirty-six 
rumselling esta1)lishments, and another place with three thou- 
sand people with eighty-eight. In the cities of Cork, Water- 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 59 

ford, and Limerick, the number of death-dealing agencies 
reaches away up into the hundreds. Drunkenness prevails on 
every side and the priest fears to offend his friend, the saloon- 
keeper, by exposing and denouncing the nefarious methods of 
his traffic." 

PRIESTS CAUSE MILLIONS TO GO WRONG. 

A million of women, and more than a million of girls, are 
asked questions by over two hundred thousand priests, which, 
if taken upon the lips of any so-called Christian minister in the 
presence of wife and daughter, would debar him from his pul- 
pit, place on his reputation an ineffaceable stain, and, if per- 
sisted in, would lead to banishment if not to summary punish- 
ment. Why should priests in Anierica be permitted to say 
and do what other religious teachers would not be tolerated in 
doing ? Is there any reason why there should be one standard 
for Romanists, and another for Christians, Jews, or infidels? 
Have Romish priests a right to invade virtue, trample on jus- 
tice, degrade womanhood, and despoil her of all that makes life 
valuable? Many are fond of reckoning Roman Catholics as 
a part of the Christian world. Let such demand that the 
priests marry, and get out of the house as a marplot, and enter 
it only as a religious teacher. Could they do so, it would revo- 
lutionize society, give the husband his place as the head of 
his household, and bar the path to almost universal licentious- 
ness. The theory that a woman may obey the priest, and, 
without sin, be to him all he desires, and that she can never be 
called to account to God for any actions she may have perform- 
ed to please him, compels millions to go wrong. 

On a Sabbath afternoon, in Music Hall, a converted nun 
handed in this request : "Pray for my poor, benighted relations 
who are yet in the bonds of iniquity and the gall of bitterness. 
My poor little niece, who is now in Boston, out of work, was 
put into a convent when three years of age, and has been since 
then the mother of two children before she was nineteen years 
of age, one living and one dead. She was living with a priest 
when these children were born; is now turned out upon the 
world, without w^ork, without a home, and can neither read nor 



6o ' "tHB DnVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

write." This is but a specimen of hundreds of letters which 
reveal the extent of this iniquity, about which the American 
people know so little and care less. The priest is in the way. 

I THE PRIEST A PLAGUE. 

As confessor, the priest possesses the secret of a woman's 
soul. ''He knows every half-formed hope, every dim desire, 
every thwarted feeling. The priest, as spiritual director, ani- 
mates that woman with his own ideas, moves her with his own 
will, fashions her according to his own fancy. And this priest 
is doomed to celibacy. He is a man, but is bound to pluck 
from his heart the feelings of a man. If he is without fault, 
he makes desperate use of his power over those confiding in 
him. If he is sincerely devout, he has to struggle with his 
passions, and there is a perilous chance of his being defeated in 
that struggle. And even should he come off victorious, still 
the mischief done is incalculably irreparable. The woman's 
virtue has been preserved by an accident, by a power extran- 
eous to herself. She was wax in her spiritual director's hands; 
she has ceased to be a person, and is become a thing. The 
priest is the cause of all this, and is a plague." 

THE DAILY LIFE OF A YOUNG PRIEST. 

The Unmarried Confessor has been set forth by Paul Cour- 
ier in words that ought to be read and pondered. 

"What a life, what a condition, is that of our priests! Love 
is forbidden them, — marriages, especially ; women are given up 
to them. They may not have one of their own, and yet live 
familiarly with all, nay, in confidential, intimate privity of their 
hidden actions, of all their thoughts. An innocent girl first 
hears the priest under her mother's wing; he then calls her to 
him, speaks alone with her, and is the first to talk of sin to her 
before she can have known it. When instructed, she marries; 
when married, he still confesses and governs her. He has pre- 
ceded the husband in her affections, and will always maintain 
himself in them. What she would not venture to confide to 
her mother, or confess to her husband, he, a priest, must know 



62 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

it, ask it, hears it, and yet shall not be her lover. How could 
he, indeed? Is he not tonsured? He hears whispered in his 
ear, by a young Avoman, her faults, her passions, desires, weak- 
nesses, receives her sighs without feeling agitated, and he is 
five and twenty ! 

''To confess a woman ! I imagine what it is. At the end of 
a church a species of closet, or sentry-box, is erected against 
the wall, where the priest awaits, in the evening after vespers, 
his young penitent whom he loves, and who knows it; love 
cannot be concealed from the beloved person. You will stop 
me there, — his character of priest, his education, his vows, — I 
reply that there is no vow which holds good ; that every village 
cure, just come from the seminary, healthy, robust, and vigor- 
ous, doubtless loves one of his parishioners. It cannot be 
otherwise, and if you contest this, I will say more still ; and that 
is, that he loves them all, — those, at least, of his own age ; but 
he prefers one, who appears to him, if not more beautiful than 
the others, more modest and wiser, and whom he would marry ; 
he would make her a virtuous, pious wife, if it were not for the 
Pope. He sees her daily, and meets her at church or else- 
where, and, sitting opposite her in the winter evenings, he 
imbibes, imprudent man! the poison of her eyes. 

''Now I ask you, when he hears that one coming the next 
day, and approaching the confessional, and when he recognizes 
her footsteps, and can say, it is she, what is passing in the mind 
of the poor confessor? Honesty, duty, mere resolutions, are 
here of little use without peculiarly heavenly grace. I will 
suppose him a saint ; unable to fly he apparently groans, sighs, 
recommends himself to God ; but, if he is only a man, he shud- 
ders, desires, and already, unwillingly, without knowing it, per- 
haps, he hopes. She arrives, kneels down at his knees before 
him whose heart leaps and palpitates. You are young, sir, or 
you have been so ; between ourselves, what do you think of 
such a situation for your daughter or your wife, and such a 
man? Alone most of the time, and having these walls, these 
vaulted roofs, as sole witnesses, they talk — of what? alas! of 
all that is not innocent- They talk, or rather murmur in low 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 63 

voice; and their lips approach each other, and their breaths 
mingle. This lasts for an hour or more, and is often renewed. 
"Do you think I invent? This scene takes place such as I 
describe it; is renewed daily by thousands of young priests, 
with as many young girls whom they love, because they are 
men; whom they confess in this manner, because they are 
priests ; and whom they do not marry, because the Pope is op- 
posed to it. 

CELIBACY A GREAT CURSE. 

In turning thought to the history of the fight for the celibacy 
of the priesthood of the Roman-Catholic Church, one is im- 
pressed with the truth that what is unwritten and is known only 
to God, and is remembered by him, is far more terrible and 
atrocious than what is written. Up to the present time no one 
has dared to put into English the truth concerning celibacy. 
It blackens the page of history, it degrades people, curses the 
home, and spreads its blight over every hope and aspiration of 
those who rest under its shadow, or are afflicted by its pres- 
ence. 

Celibacy is in direct antagonism to the teachings of the word 
of God. That ought to be sufficient with people who believe 
that the word of God is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our 
pathway. 

"A bishop," says Paul, ''must be blameless, the husband of 
one wife." In the Douay version is this note on the words, 
''the husband of one wife:" The meaning is, "that no one 
should be admitted to the holy orders of bishop, priest, or 
deacon, who had been married more than once." Then, sure- 
ly, it is not the meaning that a bishop, priest, or deacon should 
never be married. Peter led about a wife. For more than 
three centuries every pastor of the Church w^as allowed to 
marry. 

THE SHAMEFUL PIT OF IMPURITY. 

It is not strange that priests are asking, "Would we not be 
more chaste and pure by living wath our lawful wives, than by 
daily exposing ourselves in the confessional in the company 
of women whose presence will irresistibly drag us into the 
shameful pit of impurity?" 



64 T^HB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

THE VATICAN A RESIDENCE FOR WOMEN. 

"Few priests have the self-denial to live without female com- 
panionship. Indeed, the census-paper, officially filed in the 
Vatican and returned in January, 1882, stated the population 
of the palace to be five hundred, of w^hich one-third were wo- 
men. While of course it does not follow that the relations 
between these women and the grave dignitaries of the papal 
court may not be perfectly virtuous, still, considering the age 
at which ordination is permitted, it would be expecting too 
much of human nature to believe that in at least a large num- 
ber of cases among parish priests, the companionship is not as 
fertile of sin as we have seen it in every previous age since the 
ecclesiastic has been deprived of the natural institution of 
marriage." "The 'niece' or other female inmates of the par- 
sonage, throughout Catholic Europe is looked upon as a mat- 
ter of course by the parishioners, while the prelates, content 
if public scandal be avoided, affect to regard the arrangement 
as harmless." 

AMERICAN HOMES IMPERILLED. 

America is the land of homes. What blesses them, helps 
everybody. What curses them, injures everybody. It is be- 
cause the homes of millions are invaded and imperilled by 
the conduct of priests, that attention should be called to some 
of the many reasons why priests should wed. Because Roman 
Catholic priests, minions of a foreign oath-bound despotism, 
are doing their utmost not to build up the republic in the faith 
of our fathers, but to sap the foundations they laid, and de- 
spoil the people of their legitimate hopes, storm-signals should 
be raised, and warnings must be sounded out from pulpit, press- 
room and platform as never before. 

A MARRIED PRIESTHOOD AND PURE CHRISTIAN HOMES. 

Let every American insist upon a married priesthood, and 
for a pure Christian home. Let the husband become the head 
of the home, with no shadow of a priest coming between him 
and his house hold, and the cloud that darkens the path of Ro- 
manists will be chased away, and millions will find their way 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 65 

back to the halcyon days of Ambrose, before the shadow of 
the sceptre of Hildebrand darkened the world. Then confi- 
dence shall take the place of suspicion, and the priesthood of 
the Romish Church shall join with the ministry of evangelical 
denominations in seeking an ennobHng civilization for the land 
we love, and the God we serve. 

PLAIN REASONS WHY PRIESTS SHOULD WED. 

"The Nun of Kenmare" in her book, "Life Inside the Church 
of Rome," says : 

I have been convinced for many years that the celibacy of 
the Roman Catholic clergy is the source of nearly all the moral 
evil in the Roman Church. If this unchristian observance was 
abolished, the moral tone of the whole Church of Rome would 
at once be raised and purified. The enforced celibacy of the 
Roman priesthood has been, and is at present, the fruitful 
source of much crime. 

It has been fraught with the greatest moral danger to Rome, 
while the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church has proved 
the greatest spiritual danger. The enforced celibacy of priest- 
hood would long since have been abolished if it w^as not found 
to be necessary for the support of the Church, no matter what 
the moral evil which it causes. The laity would long since 
have risen against it, and have forbidden it, if the Roman Cath- 
olic Church had not kept them in such ignorance of scripture 
and of history. Where shall w^e find a Roman Catholic, no 
matter how well educated, who is conversant with the teach- 
ing of the Scripture ? Where shall we find a Roman Catholic 
who knows anything of the history of the celibacy in the Ro- 
man Church? 

As for the Scripture, the fact that St. Peter was a married 
man and our Divine Lord had so special an interest in his fam- 
ily as to have made the healing of his mother-in-law one of his 
recorded miracles, should be itself sufficient for every Chris- 
tian. We have in this an evidence which cannot be disputed, 
that vows of celibacy are not of the Divine institution for the 
Christian priesthood; and Rome acts wisely in keeping as far 
as possible the Bible from her followers, lest they should as- 



66 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

certain for themselves even the one fact, that he who they 
claim to be the first infallible head of their Chmxh was a mar- 
ried man. 

An unmarried clergy might be a support to the Church in 
time of persecution. A married clergy, for whom special coun- 
sel is given in the Gospel, is the normal condition of the 
Church, and intended to be an example and a strength to the 
Church in times of peace. Where is the priest who dares to 
preach on the words of St. Paul to Timothy, in which he so 
expressly states the duties of the Christian priesthood as re- 
gards their wives? How any Church calling itself Christian 
could forbid the marriage of its clergy, which the Scriptures 
and especially the instructions of St. Paul in regard to the 
family life of ministers of the Gospel teach, is a mystery of 
the perversity of human nature, and like all attempts to be wiser 
than God, it is ended in disastrous failure. The bishop, says 
St. Paul, ''must be blameless, the husband of one wife." What 
word could be plainer ? And then the plain practical inference 
is drawn to make edification to be derived from marriage yet 
more clear. ''For if a man know not how to rule his own house, 
how shall he take care of the Church of God?" (I. Timothy., 
III., 5). Words cannot express more clearly or more wisely 
the duties of a Christian minister, and we shall see presently 
how this enforced unchristian law of celibacy has acted, just as 
the Scriptures imply it would act. The priest of the Church 
of Rome, not having a household of his own to rule, has ''not 
known how to rule the Church of God." Instead of becom- 
ing the father of his people, he is the tyrant of his people. It 
was not long before I left the Church of Rome that a priest 
high in the Roman Church of New York said to me, "The 
bishops tyrannize over us, and we in turn tyrannize over the 
people." He spoke these words in all sober truth, and in sad 
earnestness. And those who knew anything of the inside life 
of the Roman Church at the present day, know but too well 
the truth of these words, while the past history of the Roman 
Church is simply one long cry for power at the expense of the 
Gospel truth. 

Let us look at the position of the unmarried priest. He is 




The Nun of Kenniare. 



68 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

a man with all the God-given passions of a man. The first in- 
stinct of man is to propagate his species. To this end God 
has given him the desire to do so. A gift of infinite love, the 
results of which are the highest benefit to the human race. 
This was God's precept in the Jewish dispensation, approved in 
the Christian dispensation, and sanctified in it to a degree un- 
known before Apostolic days. The priest, being a man, has 
these God-given instincts. He desires to propagate his spe- 
cies, but he is told that to do this by marriage is to commit a 
deadly sin. How awful is this case ! God has given him cer- 
tain instincts, lawful. Divine, because God-given, and man 
says, "Thou shalt not profit by them. I, the human head of 
the Church, forbid you to do what God, the Founder of the 
Church, has permitted you to do." For, let it be well noted, 
even the Roman Church has not ventured to say that this for- 
bidding to marry is a Divine command. No, it is a command 
only of the "Church," which claims a right and — oh, the pity of 
it ! — is allowed power, through the folly and sin of man, to do 
exactly what God has forbidden to be done. 

When priests shall wed, they will become the head of homes. 
Noble women will share their heart love and their toil. They 
will exchange impurity for purity ; a woman without a name, 
without a place of respectful regard, for the wife of a pastor, 
who in the Church is a helpmeet as in the home she is a part- 
ner. 

^A CATHOLIC PRIEST PLAYS THE PART OP SATAN AND IS SHOT 

AND KILLED. 

The following item, bearing the date of Zaragoza, July 17, 
1877, and signed by Rev. Thomas L. Gulick, is taken from the 
Illustrated Christian Weekly, of New York, dated August 18, 

1877:— ... 

The following incident which occurred a few days ago in the 
town of Cervera, not far from Zaragoza and up the river Ebro, 
vividly illustrates one phase of the present religious condition 
of Spain. We know the story to be true by letters received 
from those in the village who are personally acquainted with 
the facts. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS HXPOSBD. 69 

A rich man well known in the province of Aragon for his 
advanced opinions, refused on his death-bed to accept any 
priestly aid, notwithstanding the entreaties of his family and 
the advice of his friends. There was a moment, however, 
when it was thought the patient had modified his determina- 
tion. The priest of the parish presented himself by the side 
of the dying man, but finding that he persisted in his refusal, 
retired, saying aloud to those who were present, that after the 
death of the reprobate the devil would come in person to take 
charge of the body and conduct him to hell. 

Two days after the family were watching by the corpse when 
the door of the room suddenly opened, and a monster clothed 
in scarlet, smelling of sulphur and dragging a hairy tail, pre- 
sented himsdf before the mourners who fled in terror. Hear- 
ing their screams, a man-servant who was in the next room 
seized a revolver and ran to the rescue. It is reported that 
he stood terrified at the sight of his majesty, but like death 
at hell-gate, thinking it was better to kill than be killed, he 
fired three shots at the flaming terror. 

Forthwith the friends of the deceased found themselves face 
to face with the sacristan of the parish with three wounds in 
his body and the foam of death on his lips. The next day he 
died. The authorities took four priests into custody but it is 
not likely they will suffer any serious penalty. Whatever his 
crime, it i» seldom that a priest is brought to punishment Hke 
other criminals. About eight years ago a very similar tragedy 
with a sequel took place in another part of the province. What 
is to be thought of the character of men who can on occasion 
resort to such means to gain their ends? 

TAXATION OR DAMNATION. 

The priest is the Pope's tax collector. He taxes the Roman- 
ist when he is born, taxes him in his cradle; taxes him when 
he is sprinkled; taxes him when he is confirmed; taxes him 
when he is absolved ; taxes him on his sick bed ; taxes him in his 
cof^n ; taxes him in purgatory — in fact, taxes him for all he is 
worth. It is taxation or damnation — pay up or be shut up — 
in purgatory. 

5 



70 ' THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

BEAUTIES OF THE PAPAL SYSTEM. 

Romanism will never be improved until the Devil is con- 
verted. 

A fat priest and a lean Pat reveal the beauties of the papal 
system. 

When we vote for Rome to stay in power we vote for the 
schoolhouse to go. 

Romanism is Hke the Mammouth Cave in Kentucky — the 
deeper in you go the darker it gets. 

The priest who makes his ear a cess-poll of iniquity at the 
confessional box soon becomes tainted with what is received. 

The Bible only records one instance where man went and 
confessed his sins to the priest, and Judas had sense enough 
left to go out and hang himself after he did so. 

DENNIS AND THE PRIEST. 
A Dialogue. 

"Good morning? Dennis." 

"Good morning? your Reverence." 

"What is this they say of you, Dennis ? I am told you have 
been to hear the preaching of the soupers" [Protestants]. 

You have been told the truth, your Reverence." 

"And how could you dare to go and listen to heretics?" 

"Pleas your Reverence, God is not a heretic ! and it is the 
Word of God, the Bible, that they read." 

"Ay, — the Bible explained by a minister." 

"No, your Reverence; the Bible explained by itself; for 
when it is without assistance from any other quarter; and in 
the very act of reading it, we allow it to speak." 

"But, after all, the minister preaches ; and he insists on your 
believing what he preaches?" 

"No, your Reverence; the minister tells us not to believe 
on his word, but when we go home to take the Bible and ex- 
amine whether it contradicts or confirms what he has delivered 
from the pulpit." 

"But, don't you see that this is a mere sham ; and that you, 
the common people, cannot examine the Holy Scriptures, so 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 



71 



as to judge whether they confirm or contradict what the 
preacher says ?" 

''At that rate, your Reverence, St. Luke made fools of the 
common people ; for the preacher pointed out to us a passage 
in the Bible which mentions that the Bereans compared the 
preaching of the Apostle Paul with the Holy Scriptures; and 
more than that, St. Luke commends them for doing so." (Acts 
xvii. II.) 

"Admirable, Mr. Dennis ! you are quite a Doctor in Divinity ! 
You know^ as much as a whole Synod of Bishops! Your deci- 
sions will be equal to those of a General Council !" 

''No, your Reverence; I make no pretensions to judge for 
other persons; but I take the liberty of judging for myself. 
God inspired the Bible ; I read His inspired Word, and that is 
all." 

"But you are not able to understand it." 

"The proof that I can is, that I really do understand it. I 
understand very well an almanac made by an ordinary man. 
Why should I not understand the Bible, which has God for its 
author ? Cannot God express what he means as well as a mere 
mortal? Besides, the Bible, speaking of itself, says that it is 'a 
light.' " (Ps. cxix. 105.) 

"Dennis, you are obstinate and conceited." 

"Your Reverence, if he is an obstinate man who never 
changes his opinion, it is you who are obstinate ; but as for me, 
I found myself in a bad road and changed for a better, that is all. 
I have never pretended to be infallible." 

"You are very conceited to think that you know so much 
more than others." 

"Others are not very humble in thinking that they know 
more than God ; but it is to God and not to my fellow men that 
I hold myself responsible." 

"I must tell you that if you go on reasoning in this way, I 
shall not admit you to confession." 

"I confess myself." 

"Not to me, at all events !" 

"No; but to God." 

"To God?" 



72 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"Yes ; to God, who declares in the Bible that, *if we confess 
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins/ " (i 
John i. 9.) 

"The church will not marry you !" 

"I will get married elsewhere." 

"The Church will not bury you !" 

"I shall not trouble myself about my dead body, if I save my 
soul." 

"You will be excommunicated !" 
. "No matter, if I am received by God." 

"No prayers will be offered for you !" 

"I shall pray for myself." 

"No masses will be said to release you from Purgatory!" 

"They would be of no use ; for I reckon on going to Para- 
dise." 

"To Paradise, do you." 

"Yes ; to Paradise." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Why, thus : I read in the Bible that the thief when hanging 
on a cross at the right hand of Jesus, after having confessed his 
sins to Jesus Christ, who is God, said to him, Xord, remember 
me!' 'And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee. To-day 
shalt thou be with me in Paradise.' (Luke xxiii. 41-43). If, 
then, a penitent malefactor could be pardoned by believing on 
Jesus Christ, I cannot see why, if I repent, and trust in the same 
Saviour, I may not equally obtain salvation ; and the proof that 
my hope is well founded lies in what I have read in the same 
blessed book, that 'God so loved the world that he gave his 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life.' (John iii. 16). But as I 
make a part of the world here spoken of, it follows, that if I 
believe, I shall be saved." 

"But while you are waiting to go to Paradise, you must live 
in this world, and I tell you plainly, that you will lose your liveli- 
hood by joining these heretics. No one will have anything to 
do with you." 

"I trust in Him who gives us 'day by day our daily bread ;' 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 



73 



and if God be for me, what can all those do who are against 
me?" 

''You will be a laughing stock to everybody." 

"And what will that signify? Was not Jesus Christ mocked 
and set at nought?" 

"Everybody will shut their doors against you !" 

"Jesus Christ had not where to lay his head." 

"You will be called an apostate !" 

"Was not St. Paul the greatest of apostates at his conver- 
sion?" 

"Everybody will take pleasure in refusing to do you a kind- 
ness!" 

"The world persecuted the Master, and therefore may well 
persecute His disciples ; and the more I am persecuted for my 
faith, the more I shall feel that I am truly a disciple of Jesus 
Christ." 

"Well ! we shall see how long you will hold out ! First of all, 
no one will give you any work." 

"And what next?" 

"No one will admit you under their roof." 

"And what next?" 

"No one will receive you into their society." 

"So then the whole world will conspire against me ?" 

"Certainly!" 
• "And who will be at the head of the conspiracy?" 

"Who-! who! what does that signify?" 

"At all events, whoever he may be, you may tell him that he 
is not a Christian, for Christ commands us to forgive offences, 
while this man indulges revenge. Jesus commands men to 
love one another, and this man appears quite disposed to hate 
me. Should he happen to be a priest, you may tell him that 
his prototypes were the members of the Sanhedrim, who, 
through hatred, condemned Jesus to death. Should he be an 
Ultramontane, you may tell him that I am astonished at noth- 
ing done by him and by those who invented the Inquisition. 
Lastly, should it be yourself, be assured that your vengeful 
spirit is to me the best proof that you are not in the truth. 
Christ said, 'Forgive,' and you take vengeance. Christ said, 



74 ^^B DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

^Teach all nations,' and you rehise even to let them read the 
Bible. Christ said, 'Freely ye have received, freely give' (Matt. 
X. 8), and you sell, — not, indeed, the Gospel, for that you con- 
ceal, — but you sell, your masses, your prayers, your dispensa- 
tions, your rosaries, your tapers, your indulgences, your bap- 
tisms, your interments ; but as for me, I apply to that God who 
gives heaven gratuitously." 

''Gratuitously !" 

''Yes, gratuitously ! and this it is that vexes you ! For when 
a blessing is bestowed gratuitously, the concurrence of those 
who sell is not wanted. Yes, gratuitously! this one word is 
ruinous to all your schemes. God gives, and you sell. God 
pardons, and you punish. God loves and you hate. How can 
you expect that we should not go to God, or wonder that we 
do not come to you? But act toward me just as you please; 
I have learnt not to fear those who can kill the body ; but only 
to fear those who can destroy the soul ; in other words T stand 
in no awe of you." 

"You are an insolent fellow." 

"I am not; but I have the courage to speak the truth." 

"You are impious." 

"I have been so, while bending the knee before images of 
wood or stone ; but I have ceased to be so, since I believed in 
the living God, and trusted only in my Saviour." 

"You are a miserable wretch." 

"Yes, a miserable sinner ; but a penitent and humble sinner, 
I trust, whom God has pardoned." 

"You will always be a ." 

"What 1 shall be, I do not know, but I know what I wish to 
be. I wish for the future to live in purity, because it was pre- 
cisely my sins that crucified the Saviour. I wish to be sincere, 
just and charitable, because Jesus has been so good as to give 
me everything. Allow me to tell you what kind of person I 
am. When persons love me I love them in return ; when they 
do me a favor I wish to return it twofold ; the more generous 
others are towards me, the more grateful I feel. Well ! and 
has not God been generous to me more than I have words to 
express? He has granted me pardon, and heaven, and eter- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 75 

nity. Thus my heart bounds with joy, and I am ready to do all 
that God requires of me ; but what he requires of me is most 
delightful. It is to love him and to love my brethren, — to love 
even you, Reverend Sir." 

''I do not want your love." 

^'I shall not the less pray for you." 

"I do not want your prayers." 

"See the difference between us, your Reverence. I love 
you, and you hate me. I offer you my prayers, you refuse me 
yours. But Jesus Christ has said, 'By their fruits ye shall know 
them: do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?' 
(Matt. vii. 16). Judge now, Reverend Sir! which of us, you or 
I, is the disciple of Jesus Christ!" 

THE WEALTHY SPANIARD AND THE PRIEST. 

Daniel Webster was once arguing a case in which the validity 
of a will was in controversy, the contest being between the heirs 
of the testator and a certain church, to which, it was contended, 
the testator, unduly influenced by its clergyman, had in his last 
hours devised the most of his property. Webster claimed that 
the testator was then too feeble in mind to make a valid will, 
and in the course of his argument he related this incident : A 
wealthy Spaniard, when on his death bed, was visited by a cer- 
tain friar, and in solemn form was thus interrogated: "Is it 
your last will and testament that your estate in Andalusia shall 
be given to Holy Mother Church?" The dying man replied, 
"Yes." "Is it your last will and testament," proceeded the 
friar, "that your estate in Castile shall be given to Holy Mother 
Church?" The answer was "Yes." And thus the eager eccle- 
siastic went on until the testator's son, who was standing by, 
anxious lest his dying parent should will away his entire prop- 
erty, angrily interposed, "Father, is it your last will and testa- 
ment that I should take yoiir gold-headed cane and drive this 
friar out of the chamber?" "Yes," was the still affirmative 

reply. 

A PRIEST'S LOVE FOR HIS MEMBERS. 

Burlington, New Jersey, May 10. — There was a scene in St. 
Paul's Roman Catholic Church, in this city this morning. It 



76 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ordination of the Rev. 
Fr. Tracey, the pastor of the church. The priest has not been 
on good terms with some members of his fiock for many 
months, and in the course of his anniversary address became 
highly excited. 

"I will grind to the dust," he shouted, 'the rotten-hearted 
devils of the congregation, and hold up their wretched charac- 
ters to the light of day. While I am not as great a man as 
Moses I have just as much authority over my people." 

WHO A PRIEST IS. 

"There is in every parish a man who has no family, but who 
belongs to every family, a man who is called upon to act in the 
capacity of witness, counsel or agent in all the most important 
acts of civil life ; aiman without whom none can enter the world 
or go out of it, who takes the child from the bosom of its 
mother and leaves it only at the tomb; who blesses or conse- 
crates the crib, the bed of death and the bier ; a man that little 
children love and fear and venerate ; whom even unknown per- 
sons address as 'Father;' at the feet of whom and in whose 
keeping all classes of people come to deposit their most secret 
thoughts, their most hidden sins ; a man who is by profession 
the consoler and the healer of all the miseries of soul, and body; 
through whom the rich and the poor are united ; at whose door 
they knock by turns, the one to deposit his secret alms, the one 
to receive it without being made to blush because of his need ; 
the man who, being himself of no social rank, belongs to all 
indiscriminately — to the inferior ranks of society by the un- 
ostentatious life he leads, and often by humble birth and parent- 
age ; to the upper class by education, often by superior talents 
and by the subHme sentiments his religion inspires and com- 
mands; a man who knows everything, who has the right to 
everything, from whose hallowed lips words of divine wisdom 
are received by all with the authority of an oracle and with 
entire submission of faith and judgment — this man is the 
priest." — Church Progress. 

This is the description of a Roman Catholic priest by Roman 
Catholics themselves. The priest, instead of having a family 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. ^-j 

of his own, "belongs to every family," claiming more intimate 
relation than the lawful husband and father. He acts as "coun- 
sel or agent in all the mo$t important acts of civil life ; a man 
without whom none can enter the world or go out of it !" Ac- 
cording to this, none have a right to be born without permis- 
sion from a priest, "who takes the child from the bosom of its 
mother and leaves it only at the tomb." This is a frank con- 
fession that a priest has more rights and privileges in every 
family than a husband or father. He claims the right to know 
"the most secret thought" and "the most hidden sins" of every 
person, and claims to be the "healer of all miseries of soul and 
body." In fact, the most infamous, drunken priest claims to 
be "a man who knows everything (and) who has a right to 
everything." "This is a priest" of Rome. Such are some of 
the infamous and polluting claims made by every Roman 
Catholic priest. And, yet, there are professed free born 
citizens of America who surrender themselves and families to 
the polluting control of the priesthood. 

EATING PICTURES IN POLAND. 

A correspondent of the Ivondon "Christian" of May 9, 1901, 
says that one of the newest enterprises of the Roman Church 
in Poland is that of selling miniature pictures of the Virgin 
Mary, stamp size, for one kreuzer (half a cent) each, to be 
swallowed at prayer times in order to secure special blessings. 
The Bishop of Przemysle, Galicia, says in a pamphlet bearing 
his seal and signature: "We have been informed of many 
marvelous effects of grace and blessings through the eating of 
the pictures of the Mother of God, Maria de Campo Cavallo. 
We recommend that it be done in the house and not in the 
church." 

This continued devotion to the Virgin on the part of the 
Polish people is all the more remarkable, as their country, when 
it was torn in pieces, was under her special protection, she 
having been proclaimed Queen of Poland. One would have 
supposed that in the case of a patriotic people like the Poles, 
her inability or unwilHngness to protect her dominions and the 
inhabitants who had placed themselves under her rule, would 
have created dissatisfaction with her. 



78 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

THE ROMISH VIEW OF MARTIN LUTHER. 

A devoted Roman Catholic lady used to tell this story to her 
children: "Martin Luther was so bad a man that, before he 
died, the fires of hell burned within him. They burned so 
fiercely that he would shriek and scream with anguish because 
of their flame and heat. He used to be put in a tub of water, 
and the water, in a few moments, would boil around him, be- 
cause of the fires of hell that were in him." 

HOW PAT GOT HIS BROTHER OUT OF PURGATORY. 

An Irishman once related this story explaining how he got 
rid of paying more money to get his fighting brother out of 
Purgatory. The Priest had come to him again and again to 
get his brother out. "He is almost out, but not quite." At 
last Pat got tired and said, "Well, now, tell how far is he out ?" 

"Head and shoulders and one arm," replied the Priest. 

"Which arm?" inquired Pat. 

"The right arm," replied the Priest. 

"You are sure it is the right arm?" inquired Pat. 

"Yes," said the Priest. 

"Then I will risk him. If Bill has his right arm clear, he will 
soon be out all right, and I will not give any more money." 

THE NEW YORK "RELIC" RETURNS TO DUTY. 

The priests at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste on East 
Seventy-sixth street, in this city, brought their so-called. "relic" 
(purporting to be part of the left forearm of St. Anne) upstairs 
out of ^the cellar, and put it in a new shrine, which had been 
refitted xby a wealthy lady. Archbishop Corrigan blessed the 
shrine, and afterward recited "prayers and benedictions and 
sprinkled holy water," according to the New York "Tribune," 
July i8, 1901. The report thus describes the j "veneration of 
the relic :" 

"The throng numbered nearly 3,000 people, filling the crypt 
of the church and the' street outside. Nearly half were suffer- 
ing from physical ills. There were many who used crutches 
or canes. Others, supported by friends, patiently waited in the 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 79 

crush to touch their hps to the rehc. Some had brought sick 
babies to the rehc, and many bhnd persons were present. 

''The pilgrims kneh at the altar rail, and a priest, passing 
along the row and bearing the relic, gave each one an oppor- 
tunity to kiss the glass which shields the bone. Then he touch- 
ed it to the forehead and eyes, or to the part of the body af- 
fected, and passed on to the next person. 

''A priest explained that it was not expected that the miracu- 
lous efficacy of the relic would be shown until the spiritual 
work of the novena had advanced further. In a few days the 
priests will begin to hear confessions. It is those who attain 
to a state of grace by being shriven of their sins, the priest 
said, who would receive, according to their faith, the blessings 
and healing powers of the relic, and the benefits obtained for 
them by the intercession of St. Anne and the Virgin Mary." 

PENNSYLVANIA BISHOP BLESSING THE HICKORY STICKS. 

Ex-priest WiUiam Hogan, in his book, ''A Synopsis of 
Popery," says: "The Bible, as you are aware, is a forbidden 
book in the Romish church. I remember when acting as 
Popish priest, in Philadelphia, having ventured to suggest to 
the very Rev. Mr. De Barth, then acting as vicar-general of that 
diocese, the advantages of educating the poor, and circulating 
the Bible among them. He scouted at the idea, as heretical, 
and lodged a written complaint against me, before the arch- 
bishop of Baltimore, then the Romish metropolitan. I was 
reprimanded verbally, through the aforesaid De Barth. He 
was too crafty to send it in writing; the Papists were not then 
strong enough to forbid, openl}^ the reading of the Bible. It 
was then too soon to seal up the fountain of eternal life in this 
free country. The most sympathizing Protestants could 
scarcely believe then, that in less than thirty years. Papists 
would not only dare forbid it to be read, by their own people, 
and in their own schools, as they did the other day in New 
York. What are we coming to, Americans? Your ancestors 
have come to this country, with no recommendations but holy 
lives ; with no fortune but their pious hearts and strong arms ; 
with no treasure but the word of God. 



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HIS SECRET WORKS BXPOSBD. 8i 

Will you now permit Papists to cast those Bibles out of your 
schools, to burn them on the public streets, as they have done 
in the State of New York, under the inspection of Popish 
priests, as proved on the oath of several respectable witnesses? 
That priest, however, did no more than every priest and bishop 
would do, did he deem it expedient; and here, fellow-citizens, 
let me assure you, that same power which authorizes that 
priest, or any other priest, to burn your Bibles, also authorizes 
him to burn every heretic or Protestant in this country. 

"The , same power which authorizes them to officiate as 
priests, empowers them to destroy heretics, whenever it is ex- 
pedient ; and is ready to absolve them from the commission of 
this foul dead. Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his second book, 
chapter the 3d, page 58, says : "Heretics may justly be killed." 
But you will answer, there is no danger of this. They can 
never acquire the power to enact any laws in this country which 
would sanction such a doctrine. How sadly mistaken you are ! 
How lamentably unacquainted with the secret springs or ma- 
chinery of Popery! I regret that circumstances oblige me so 
often to introduce my own name, but it cannot be well avoided, 
for the purpose of explaining certain Popish transactions in the 
United States. While I was a Romish priest in Philadelphia, 
and soon after my differences with the archbishop of Baltimore, 
in relation to the introduction of the Bible, a consultation was 
held between the Popish priests in the diocese of Philadelphia, 
and it was secretly resolved by them, that the best mode of 
checking Hogan's heresy, as they were pleased to term my ad- 
vocating the reading of the Bible, was to take possession of the 
church in which I officiated, in the name of the Pope. They 
accordingly wrote to his HOLINESS, humbly praying this 
MAN-GOD to send them out a bishop, and to give him, and 
his successors in office, a lease of St. Mary's church, in Phila- 
delphia, and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging. Ac- 
cordingly his ROYAL HOLINESS the Pope sent them a 
bishop with the aforesaid lease. I was immediately ordered 
out of the church; and having refused to depart, unless the 
trustees thought proper to remove me, this emissary of the 
Pope, only a few days or weeks in this country, had me indicted 



82 ■ , THH DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

and imprisoned for disturbing public worship, or in other 
words, officiating- in St. Mary's church, even with the full and 
undivided consent of the trustees. 

But the bishop's legal right was questioned; the case was 
brought before the supreme court of Pennsylvania, Chief Jus- 
tice Tighlman presiding. I was discharged from bail and cus- 
tody, and the rights of the trustees, under their charter from 
the State, sustained. But the priests and bishops were not 
content with this decision. They put their heads once more 
together, and fancied that they discovered another mode by 
which they could rob the people of their rights, and defeat the 
intentions of the donors of the property of St. Mary's church ; 
and what was their plan, think you, fellow-citizens? 

The bishop called a meeting of all the priests and leading 
Catholics in the diocese. Every lay member was ordered to 
bring with him a hickory stick. The meeting was held in the 
church of St. Joseph ; and at the hour of twelve at night, the 
Romish bishop of the diocese of Pennsylvania, an Irishman, not 
more than a few months in the country, attended in his ponti- 
ficals, told the multitude who were there assembled to lay 
down their sticks in one pile, in order that he might bless them 
for their use. This was done as a matter of course. The 
bishop said mass, sprinkled holy water upon the sticks, blessed 
them, and this done, the whole party bound themselves by a 
solemn vow never to cease until they elected a legislature in 
Pennsylvania that would annul the charter of St. Mary's 
church; and, as an American citizen, I blush to state the fact, 
they succeeded. The charter was annulled by an act of the 
legislature, and property, worth over a million dollars, would 
have passed into the hands of the Pope and his agents, were 
there not a provision in the constitution of that State empower- 
ing the supreme court to decide upon the constitutionality of 
-the acts of the legislature. 

We brought the question of the constitutionality of the act, 
which annulled the charter, before the court. Justice Tighlman 
still presiding. The court decided in the negative, otherwise 
the trustees and myself would have been defeated; I should 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 83 

have been fined and imprisoned, and they ousted out of their 
trust. j 

This, I beHeve, was the first attempt the Pope has made to 
estabhsh his temporal power in this country ; and it is a source 
of consolation to me, dearer ahiiost than existence itself, to be 
the first to meet this Holy Bull. If I have not strangled him 
and trampled him to death, I have, at least, the comfort of see- 
ing his horns so blunted, that his bellowings have been, ever 
since, comparatively harmless. But there seems a recupera- 
tive power in the Beast. He is again attempting to plant his 
foot upon our soil, and establish his temporal power amongst 
us ; and how is he trying to accomplish this, fellow-citizens ? 
The Papists have united themselves together as a body, head- 
ed by their priests, and resolved to carry, through the ballot 
box, what they cannot otherwise accomplish, at least for the 
present. Popish priests have all become politicians; they 
publicly preach peace, good order, and obedience to the 
''powers that be," but they tell the people in the confessional, 
to disregard those instructions, and stop at nothing which may 
promote the interests of the church. 



II. 

THE CONFESSIONS OF NVNS. 



MARIA MONK'S AWFUL EXPOSURES OE THE BLACK NUNNERY. 

It was in 1836 that the story of Maria Monk broke upon the 
world. A refugee from the Black Nunnery of Montreal, Can- 
ada, had found shelter in the almshouse of New York, where 
the Bible came to her. That Bible introduced her to the one 
Mediator, Jesus Christ. He pleaded her cause not only before 
the Father, but before man. He entered her soul, and gave 
her power to become a child of God. The Holy Spirit, her 
Comforter, became a helper, introduced her to the chaplain, to 
friends, and to the brotherhood of man. Error opposed the 
truth. Rome was powerful. People and the press under her 
control fought the helpless woman. Maria Monk had only 
the voice of the wronged and suffering, who confessed to hav- 
ing lived a life with priests, full of shame and sorrow. It be- 
came fashionable to reject her testimony. Few gave her story 
welcome. But it is impossible to kill out the truth. Her story 
is finding corroboration. It deserves study. She became a 
Roman Catholic because she knew no better, and was taught 
no better. She was without religious instruction at home. 
All the education she ever obtained was procured in a school 
kept by a Protestant when she was six or seven years of age, 
where she remained several months, and learned to read and 
write, and arithmetic as far as division. 

"All the progress I ever made," she said, ''in those branches, 
was gained in that school, as I have never improved in any of 
them since." A good commentary on the schools in convents 
is thus furnished, where, as a novice, she remained five years, 
and learned nothing of science or of letters. When ten years 
of age she was sent to the nunnery. She relates her experi- 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 85 

ence. She was then a Protestant. On Notre Dame street 
she came to the gate of the estabhshment. Opening it, with 
her young companions, she walked some distance along the 
side of the building until she came to the door. A bell was 
rung, the door was opened, and she passed to the schoolroom. 
On entering, the superior met her, and said, ''First of all you 
must dip your fingers into the holy water, cross yourself, say 
a short prayer." This was required of Protestant and Cath- 
olic children; as in the nunnery school in Biddeford, Me., the 
children repeat the prayers, and as they go out say, ''There is 
only one holy and Catholic Church." 

The time was given, not to study, but to needlework, which 
was performed with much skill. The nuns had no very regular 
parts assigned to them in the management of the schools. 
They were rather rough and unpolished in their manners, of- 
ten exclaiming, "It is a lie!" Their writing was quite poor, 
and it was not uncommon for them to put a capital letter in 
the middle of a word (and yet Protestants praise their schools). 
"The only book on geography which we studied was a cate- 
chism on geography, from which we learned by heart a few 
questions and answers. We were sometimes referred to a 
map, but it was only to point out Montreal, or Quebec, or 
some other prominent name ; while we had no instruction be- 
yond." In Montreal were three nunneries : 

1. The Congregational Nunnery, devoted to the education 
of girls. 

2. The Black Nunnery, professedly for the sick and the 
poor. 

3. The Grey Nunnery, with apartments for insane persons 
and foundlings. 

"In all these convents there are certain apartments into 
which strangers can gain admittance, but others from which 
they are always excluded. The nuns are regarded with much 
respect. When a novice takes the veil, she is supposed to re- 
tire from the temptations and troubles of this world, into a 
state of holy seclusion, where, by prayer, self-mortification, 
and good deeds, she prepares herself for heaven. Sometimes 
the superior of a convent obtains the character of working mir- 
6 



86 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

acles, and when such an one dies, it is pubHshed through the 
country and crowds throng the convent, who think indulgences 
are to be derived from bits of clothes or things she has pos- 
sessed; and many have sent articles to be touched to her bed 
or chair, in which a degree of virtue is thought to remain. 
Some of the priests of the seminary often visited the nunnery, 
and both catechised and talked with us on religion. The su- 
perior of the Black Nunnery adjoining came in, and enlarged 
on the advantages we enjoyed in having such teachers and 
dropped something now and then relating to her own convent, 
calculated to make us entertain the highest ideas of it, and to 
make us sometimes think of the possibility of getting into it." 
"Among the instructions of the priests, some of the most 
pointed were those directed against the Protestant Bible. 
They often enlarged upon the evil tendency of that book, and 
told us that but for it many a soul now condemned to hell, and 
suffering eternal punishment, might have been in happiness. 
They could not say anything in its favor; for that would be 
speaking in their opinion against religion and against God. 
In the catechism taught the children are these questions : 
Question. "Why did not God make all the comm_andments ?" 
Answer. "Because man is not strong enough to keep them." 
Q. "Why are not men to read the New Testament?" 
A. "Because the mind of man is too limited and weak to un- 
derstand what God has written." 

"These questions are not in the common catechism, but all 
the children in the Congregational Nunnery were taught them, 
and many more not found in these books." 

THE PERILS OE GIRLS. 

"In this nunnery was a girl thirteen years of age whom the 
priest tried to persuade he could not sin, because he was a 
priest, and that anything he did to her would sanctify her. 
Doubtful how to act, she related the conversation to her mother, 
who expressed neither anger nor disapprobation, but only en- 
joined it upon her not to speak of it, and remarked to her, as 
priests were not like men, but holy, and sent to instruct and 
save us, whatever they did was right." "Other children were 



/ 




Murder of La Belle Maria by a Canadian Priest. 



88 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

treated in the same manner. It was not long before I became 
used to such language, and my views of right and wrong were 
shaken by it." 

"A young squaw, called La Belle Maria, had been seen going 
to confession at the house of a priest, who lived a little out of 
the village. La Belle Maria was afterwards missed, and her 
body found in the river. A knife was also found, covered with 
blood, bearing the priest's name. Great indignation was ex- 
cited among the Indians, and the priest immediately absconded 
and was never heard from. A note was found on his table, ad- 
dressed to him, telling him to fly if he was guilty." "These 
stories struck me with surprise at first, but gradually I began 
to feel differently, even supposing them true, and to look upon 
the priests as men incapable of sin; and it was not until the 
priests became more bold, and were indecent in their ques- 
tions and even in their conduct in the sacristy, that I saw them 
in their true light. 

"This subject, I believe, is not understood nor suspected 
among the Protestants ; and it is not my intention to speak of it 
very particularly, because it is impossible to do so without say- 
ing things both shameful and demoralizing." 

"I will only say here, that when quite a child I heard from 
the mouth of priests at confession what I cannot repeat with 
treatment corresponding; and several females in Canada have 
assured me that they have repeatedly, and, indeed, regularly, 
been required to answer the same and similar questions, many 
of which present to the mind deeds the most iniquitous and 
corrupted heart could hardly invent." 

After I had been in the Congregational Nunnery about two 
years I left it; but having many and severe trials to endure at 
home, and as my Catholic acquaintances had often spoken to 
me in favor of their faith, I was inclined to believe it true, al- 
though I knew little of any religion." While out of the nun- 
nery she married, gave birth to a child, and was deserted by 
•her husband. She said, "I saw nothing of religion. If I had, 
I believe I should never have thought of becoming a nun." 
Here is a lesson which should not be forgotten; thousands 
around us are waiting to be led to Christ; they are out of 
Rome and are unsaved. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 89 

OUT OF THE COFFIN INTO SHAME. 

Maria entered the Black Nunnery, so called from the color 
of the dresses worn by the nuns. After having been in the 
convent as a novice for the proper time, she took the veil. Be- 
fore doing so she was ornamented for the ceremony, and was 
clothed in a rich dress, belonging to the convent, which was 
used on such occasions, and placed not far from the altar in the 
chapel, in the view of a number of spectators who had assem- 
bled, in number about forty, ''Being well prepared with a 
long training and frequent rehearsals for what I was to per- 
form, I stood waiting in my long flowing dress for the ap- 
pearance of the bishop. He soon presented himself, entering 
by a door behind the altar. I then turning to the superior, 
threw myself prostrate at her feet, according to my instruc- 
tions, repeating what I had done at rehearsals, and made a 
movement as if to kiss her feet. I then kneeled before the holy 
sacrament, a large round wafer held by the bishop between his 
forefinger and thumb, and made my vows. 

"This wafer I had been taught to, regard with the utmost 
veneration as the real body of Jesus Christ, the presence of 
which made the vows uttered before it binding in the most 
solemn manner. 

"After taking the vows, I proceeded to a small apartment 
behind the altar, accompanied by four nuns, where was a coffin 
prepared with my nun name upon it, — Saint Eustace. 

"My companions lifted it by four handles attached to it, while 
I threw off my dress and put on that of a nun, and then we all 
returned to the chapel. I proceeded first, and was followed by 
the four nuns, the bishop naming a number of worldly pleas- 
ures in rapid succession, in reply to which I as rapidly repeated 
'I renounce,' 'I renounce.' The coffin was then placed in front 
of the altar, and I advanced to place myself in it. The cof^n 
was to be deposited, after the ceremony, in an out-house, to be 
preserved until my death, when it was to receive my corpse. 
I stepped in, extended myself, and lay still. A pillow had been 
placed at the head of the coffin to support my head in a com- 
fortable position. A large, thick, black cloth was then spread 
over me, and the chanting of Latin hymns immediately com- 




Maria Monk's Awful Experience— Out of the Coffin into Shame. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 91 

menced. My thoughts were not the most pleasing during the 
time I lay in that situation. The pall had a strong smell of in- 
cense, which proved to be almost suffocating. I recollected 
of hearing of a nun thus placed, who, on the removal of the 
covering, was found dead." This was not exhilarating. 
''When I was uncovered, I arose, stepped out of my cof^n, and 
kneeled. Other ceremonies then followed. These over, I pro- 
ceeded from the chapel, and returned to the superior's room 
followed by the other nuns, who walked two by two in their 
customary manner, with their hands folded on their breasts 
and their eyes cast down upon the floor. The nun who was to 
be my companion in the future then walked at the head of the 
procession. On reaching the superior's door they all left me, 
and I entered alone, and found her with the bishop and two 
priests. 

The superior now informed me, that, having taken the black 
veil, it only remained that I should swear the three oaths cus- 
tomary on becoming a nun, and that some explanation would 
be necessary from her. I was now, she told me, to have ac- 
cess to every part of the edifice, even to the cellar where two 
of the sisters were imprisoned, for causes which she did not 
mention ; I must be informed that one of my great duties was 
to oblige the priests in all things, and this I soon learned, to 
my utter astonishment and horror, was to live in the practice 
of criminal intercourse with them. I expressed some of the 
feelings which this announcement excited in me, which came 
upon me like a flash of lightning; but the only effect was to 
set her to arguing with me in favor of the crime, representing 
it as virtue, acceptable to God and honorable to me." 

THE MOTHER SUPERIOR TELLS WHY PRIESTS CANNOT SIN. 

The reason for carnal indulgence with priests is thus set 
forth :— 

"The priests," she faid, ''were not situated like other men, 
being forbidden to marry ; while they lived secluded, laborious, 
and self-denying lives for our salvation. They might indeed 
be considered saviors, as without their services we could not 
obtain pardon of sin, and must go to hell. Now it was our 



92 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

solemn duty, on withdrawing from this world, to consecrate 
our lives to reHgion, to practice every species of self-denial. 
We could not become too humble, nor mortify our feelings 
too far; this was to be done by opposing them, and acting 
contrary to them ; and what she proposed was therefore pleas- 
ing in the sight of God. I now felt how foolish I had been 
to place myself in the power of such persons as were around 
me. 

"From what she said, I could draw no other conclusions, but 
that I was required to act like the most abandoned of beings, 
and that all my future associates were to be habitually guilty 
of the most heinous and detestable of crimes. When I re- 
peated my expressions of surprise and horror, she told me that 
such feelings were very common at first, and that many other 
nuns had expressed themselves as I did, who had long since 
changed their minds. She even said, that on her entrance into 
the nunnery she had felt like me. Priests, she insisted, could 
not sin. It was a thing impossible ; every thing they did and 
wished was of course right. She hoped I would see the rea- 
sonableness and duty of the oaths I was to take, and be faith- 
ful to them." 

HOW INFANTS WERE MURDERED. 

"She gave me another piece of information which excited 
other feelings in me, scarcely less dreadful. Infants were 
sometimes born in the convent; but they were baptized and 
immediately strangled. This secured their everlasting happi- 
ness; for the baptism purified them from all sinfulness, and 
being sent out of the world before they had any time to do 
anything wrong, they were at once admitted into heaven. 
'How happy,' she exclaimed, are those who secure immortal 
happiness to such httle beings ! Their little souls would thank 
those who killed their bodies if they had it in their power.' " 

DEMONS IN THE EORMS fo MEN. 

The Mount Benedict Convent, in Charleston, has been burn- 
ed down because of enormities practiced within its curtained 
walls. Before the convent was carried to Charleston, not a lit- 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 93 

tie scandal had fallen upon it, in public estimation, by the re- 
ported conduct of a priest and nun, who it was understood, 
had carried into practice St. Iviguori's convenient doctrine of 
the Church concerning angelic intercourse. The book is un- 
fit to be translated anywhere this side of pandemonium; but 
the substance of the doctrine as far as it can possibly be set 
forth, is that demons are able to assume forms of men (of 
priests, for instance) from air and to attach to other elements 
the similitude of flesh and palpableness, and a kind of heat of 
the human body, and in this shape indulge desires ; that a 
natural birth may be the result, in which the child will resem- 
ble the man whose form the demon assumed to effect this pur- 
pose, although the man so represented was entirely innocent 
and in ''a quiet sleep" when it happened. It is related that as 
late as 1781 a nun was publicly burnt to death, in the Inquisi- 
tion at Seville, in Spain, for having this pretended connection. 
It was in Boston in 1830 this doctrine was welcomed, and un- 
der its cover liberties were enjoyed in a convent built to edu- 
cate Protestants. At this time Boston bowed the knee to 
Rome to an extent little understood at the present, and the 
revelations of Maria Monk were rejected with scorn as being 
unworthy of credence. After that, in 1845, came the expos- 
ures of William Hogan, a lawyer of eminence, a man who had 
been chaplain of the House of Representatives in the Legisla- 
ture in Albany, and a priest of one of the most popular Roman- 
Catholic churches in Philadelphia; and he told how ''the 
mother abbess took the nostrils of the infant between her con- 
secrated" thumb and fingers and in the name of the infallible 
Church, consigned it to the care of the Almighty, "claiming 
that the strangling and putting to death of infants is a com- 
mon every-day crime in popish nunneries." The fact is, Maria 
Monk only averages up to the revelations of horrible iniquities 
practiced in Europe and in America. 

The way infants were murdered in the Black Nunnery is 
thus described by Maria Monk : "The priest puts oil upon the 
heads of the infants, as is the custom before baptism. When 
he had baptized the children, they were taken one after an- 
other, by one of the old nuns, in the presence of all ; she press- 



94 I'HB DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

ed her hand upon the mouth and nose of the first so tight that 
it could not breathe, and in a few minutes when the hand was 
removed it was dead. She then took another, and treated it in 
the same manner. No sound was heard, and both the chil- 
dren were corpses. The greatest indifference was shown by 
all present during this operation; for all, as I well knew, were 
accustomed to such scenes. The little bodies were then taken 
into the cellar, thrown into the pit, and covered with a quanti- 
ty of lime." Afterwards she saw, without doubt, her own 
children treated in the same manner. "No attempt was made 
to keep any of the inmates in ignorance of the murder of chil- 
dren." 

THE CONVENT IN ITS TRUE LIGHT. 

Maria Monk declares that, after she witnessed the murder 
of the infants, ''the convent stood out in its true light. She 
saw the nuns, lady superior and all, associating with base, prof- 
ligate men who were admitted into the nunnery whenever pas- 
sion impelled them in that direction, where they were allowed 
to indulge in the greatest crimes, which they and others called 
virtues. 

"After having listened for some time to the superior alone, 
a number of nuns were admitted and took a free part in the 
conversation. They concurred in everything which she had 
told nie, and repeated without any signs of shame or com- 
punction things which criminated themselves. I must acknowl- 
edge the truth, and declare that all this had an effect upon my 
mind. I questioned whether I might not be in the wrong, and 
felt as if their reasoning might have some just foundation. I 
had been for several years under the tuition of CathoHcs, and 
was ignorant of the Scriptures, and unaccustomed to the so- 
ciety, example and conversation of Protestants; I had not 
heard any appeal to the Bible as authority, but had been taught 
both by precept and example to receive as truth everything 
said by the priests. I had not heard their authority ques- 
tioned, nor anything said of any other standard of faith but 
their declaration. I had long been familiar with the corrupt 
and licentious expressions which some of them used at con- 
fessions, and believed that other women were also. All 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 95 

around me insisted that my doubts proved only my own ignor- 
ance and sinfulness ; that they knew by experience they would 
soon give place to true knowledge and an advance in religion, 
and I felt something like indecision." 

i 
MANUFACTURING RELIGIOUS LIES. 

Will the American people consent to these establishments 
remaining in our cities, poisoning the streams of social influ- 
ence, and making religion the cover for prostitution of the 
vilest and most bestial kind? 

"The nuns were taught to dissemble, and they who could 
manufacture a good religious lie to deceive friends and par- 
ents were praised. Over and over again, they were taught 
that the priests under the direct sanction of God could not 
sin. Of course, then, it could not be wrong to comply with 
any of their requests, because they could not demand anything 
but what was right." 

1 THE BURIAL PLACE EOR INFANTS. 

The burial place for infants is thus described : ''It was in the 
cellar. The earth appeared as if mixed with some whitish 
substance, which was found to be lime, — the secret burying- 
place of slain babies. Here, then, I was in a place which I 
had considered as the nearest imitation of heaven to be found 
on earth, among society where deeds were constantly perpe- 
trated which I had believed to be most criminal, and had now 
found the place in which harmless infants were unfeelingly 
thrown out of sight, after being murdered." 

HOW PRIESTS CAN ENTER NUNNERIES. 

"Among the first instructions I received from the superior 
were such as prepared me to admit priests into the nunnery 
from the street at irregular hours. It is no secret that priests 
enter and go out as they choose ; but if they were to be watch- 
ed by any person in St. Paul's street all day long, no irregular- 



96 * THB DUVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

ity might be suspected, and they might be supposed to visit the 
convent for the performance of rehgious ceremonies merely. 

''But if a person were near the gate about midnight, he might 
sometimes form a different opinion; for when a stray priest is 
shut out of the seminary, or is otherwise put in need of seeking 
a lodging, he is always sure of being admitted into the Black 
Nunnery." 

''Nobody but a priest can even ring the bell at the sick-room 
door, much less can any but a priest gain admittance. The 
pull of the bell is entirely concealed somewhere on the outside 
of the gate." 

"He makes himself known as a priest by a peculiar kind of 
hissing sound made by the tongue against the teeth while they 
are kept closed and the lips open. The nun within, who delays 
to open the door until informed what kind of an applicant is 
there, immediately recognizes the signal, and replies with two 
inarticulate sounds, such as are often used instead of 'yes,' 
with the mouth closed. The superior seemed to consider tliis 
part of my instructions quite important, and taught me the 
signals. A priest in the nunnery was permitted to go where 
he pleased." 

NO ROOM FOR THE BIBLE IN THAT CONVENT. 

"I never saw a Bible in the convent from the day I entered 
as a novice until I made my escape. The Catholic New Testa- 
ment, called 'the Evangel,' was used, and extracts read to us 
about three or four times a year. 

"The superior directed the reader what passages to select, 
but we never had it in our own hands to read what we pleased. 
I often heard the Protestant Bible spoken of in bitter terms 
as a most dangerous book, and one which never ought to be 
in the hands of common people. 

, AN UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY. 

From the Black Nunnery to the Congregational Nunnery 
is a secret underground passage, so that the nuns and priests 
can go from one to the other. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. gj 

MURDER OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN A NUNNERY. 

''It was about five months after I had taken the black veil," 
said Maria Monk, ''when the superior sent for me and several 
other nuns to come to her room. The weather was cool; it 
was an October day. We found the bishop and some priests 
with her; and speaking in an unusual tone of fierceness and 
authority, she said, 'Go to the room for the examination of 
conscience, and drag St. Frances upstairs.' Nothing more 
was necessary than this unusual command, with the tone and 
manner which accompanied it, to excite in me the most gloomy 
anticipations. It did not strike me as so strange that St. 
Frances should be in the room to which the superior directed 
us. It was an apartment to which we were often sent to pre- 
pare for the communion, and to which we involuntarily went 
whenever we felt the compunction which our ignorance of 
duty and the misinstructions we received inclined -us to seek 
relief from self-reproach. Indeed, I had seen her there a lit- 
tle before. What terrified me was, first, the superior's angry 
manner; second, the expression she' used, being a French 
term, whose peculiar use I had learnt in the convent, and whose 
meaning is rather softened when translated into 'drag;' third, 
the place to which we were directed to take the interesting 
young nun, and the persons assembled there, as I supposed, to 
condemn her. My fears were such concerning the fate that 
awaited her, and my horror at the idea that she was in some 
way to be sacrificed, that I would have given anything to be 
allowed to stay where I was. But I feared the consequences 
of disobeying the superior, and proceeded with the rest to- 
wards the room for the examination of conscience. 

"The room to which we were to proceed from that was in 
the second story, and the place of many a scene of a shameful 
nature. It is sufficient for me to say that things had occurred 
there which made me regard the place with the greatest dis- 
gust. 

"St. Frances had appeared melancholy for some time. I 
well knew that she had cause for she had been repeatedly sub- 
ject to trials which I need not name, — our common lot. 

"When we had reached the room which we had been bidden 



98 THU DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

to seek, I entered the door, my companions standing behind 
me, as the place was so small as hardly to hold five persons at 
a time. The young nun was standing alone, near the middle 
of the room. She was probably twenty years of age, with 
light hair, blue eyes, and a very fair complexion." 

Think of it. She resembled in appearance one that was the 
light of a boyhood home I well knew. She was some one's 
child, and by her devotion io Christ, resistance to crime, and 
loyalty to virtue, must have been worthy of love. She had 
been true to the highest instincts of an immortal nature, and 
for this was to die. 

The narrative proceeds : "I spoke to her in a compassion- 
ate voice, but at the same time with such a decided manner 
that she comprehended my full meaning, — 'St. Frances, we 
are sent for you.' 

''Several others spoke kindly to her, but two addressed her 
very harshly. The poor creature turned around with a look 
of meekness, and without expressing any vmwillingness or fear, 
without even speaking a word, resigned herself to our hands. 
The tears came into my eyes. I had not a moment's doubt 
that she considered her fate as sealed, and was already beyond 
the fear of death. She was conducted or rather hurried to 
the staircase, which was nearby, and then seized by her limbs 
and clothes, and in fact almost dragged upstairs, in the sense 
the superior had intended. I laid my own hands upon her, — 
I took hold of her, too, — more gentty, indeed, than some of 
the rest; yet I encouraged and assisted them in carrying her. 
I could not avoid it. My refusal would not have saved her, 
nor prevented her being carried up; it would only have ex- 
posed me to some severe punishment, as I believed some of 
my companions would have seized the first opportunity to 
complain of me. 

"All the way up the staircase St. Frances spoke not a word, 
nor made the slightest resistance. When we entered with her 
the room to which she was ordered, my heart sank within me. 
The bishop, the lady superior, and five priests were assem- 
bled for her trial. When we had brought our prisoner before 
them. Father Richards began to question her; she made ready 










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loo THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

but calm replies. I cannot pretend to give a connected ac- 
count of what ensued ; my feelings were wrought up to such a 
pitch, that I knew not what I did, or what to do. I was un- 
der a terrible apprehension that if I betrayed the feelings which 
almost overcame me I should fall under the displeasure of the 
cold-blooded persecutors of my poor innocent sister; and this 
fear on the one hand with the distress I felt for her on the 
other, rendered me almost frantic. As soon as I entered the 
room, I had stepped into a corner on the left of the entrance, 
where I might partly support myself by leaning against the 
wall between the door and the window. This support was 
all that prevented me from falling to the floor; for the con- 
fusion of my thoughts was so great, that only a few of the 
words I heard spoken on either side made any lasting impres- 
sion upon me. I felt as if I was struck with some insupport- 
able blow; and death would not have been more frightful to 
me. I am inclined to the behef that Father Richards wished 
to shield the poor prisoner from the severity of her fate, by 
drawing from her expressions that might bear a favorable con- 
struction. He asked her, among other things, if she was not 
sorry for what she had been overheard to say (for she had been 
betrayed by one of the nuns), and if she would not prefer con- 
finement in the cells to the punishment which was threatened 
her. But the bishop soon interrupted him, and it was easy to 
perceive that he considered her fate as sealed, and was deter- 
mined that she should not escape. In reply to some of the 
questions put to her, she was silent; to others I heard her 
voice reply that she did not repent a word she had uttered, 
though they had been reported by some of the nuns, who had 
heard them; that she still wished to escape from the convent; 
and that she had firmly resolved to resist every attempt to 
compel her to the commission of crimes she detested. She 
added that she would rather die, than cause the murder of 
harmless babies. 'THAT IS ENOUGH, FINISH HER!' 
said the bishop. Two nuns instantly fell upon the young wo- 
man and in obedience to instructions and directions given by 
the lady superior, prepared to execute her sentence. She 
still maintained all the calmness and submission of a lamb. 



HIS SECRBT WORKS EXPOSED. loi 

*'Some of those who took part in this transaction, I believe 
were as unwilHng as myself; but of others I can safely say 
that I believe they delighted in it. Their conduct certainly 
exhibited a most bloodthirsty spirit. But above all others 
present, and above all human fiends I ever saw, I think St. 
Hippolyte was the most diaboHcal. She engaged in the hard 
task with all alacrity, and assumed from choice the most re- 
volting parts to be performed She seized a gag, forced it 
into the mouth of the poor nun. and when it was fixed between 
her extended jaws so as to keep them open at their greatest 
possible distance, took hold of the straps fastened at each end 
of the stick, crossed them behind the helpless head of the vic- 
tim, and drew them tight through the loop prepared as a fas- 
tening. 

"The bed which had always stood in one part of the room 
still remained there; though the screen that had usually been 
placed before it, and was made of thick muslin, with only a 
crevice through which a person behind might look out, had 
been folded up on its hinges in the form of a W, and placed in 
a corner. On the bed the prisoner was laid, with her face up- 
ward, and then bound with cords so that she could not move. 
In an instant another bed was thrown upon her; one of the 
priests sprung like a fury first upon it and stamped upon it 
with all his force. He was speedily followed by the nuns un- 
til there were as many upon the bed as could find room, and 
all did what they could, not only to smother but to bruise her. 

''Some stood up and jumped upon the poor girl with their 
feet, some with their knees, and others in different ways seem- 
ed to seek how they might beat the breath out of her body 
and mangle it, without coming in direct contact with it, or see- 
ing the effects of their violence During this time, my feelings 
were almost too strong to be endured. I felt stupefied and 
scarcely was conscious of what I did, still fear for myself re- 
mained in a sufficient degree to induce me to some exertion, 
and I attempted to talk to those who stood next, partly that 
I might have an excuse for turning away from the dreadful 
scene. 

''After the elapse of fifteen or twenty minutes, and when it 

7 



I02 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

was presumed that the sufferer had been smothered and 
crushed to death, the priest and the nuns ceased to trample 
upon her, and stepped from the bed. All was motionless and 
silent beneath it." 

"They then began to laugh at such inhuman thoughts as 
occurred to some of them, rallying each other in the most un- 
feeling manner, and ridiculing me for the feelings which I in 
vain endeavored to conceal. They alluded to the resignation 
of our murdered companion, and one of them tauntingly said, 
'She would have made a good Catholic martyr !' After spend- 
ing some moments in such conversation, one of them asked if 
the corpse should be removed. The superior said it had bet- 
ter remain a little while. After waiting some time longer, 
the feather-bed was taken off, the cords unloosed, and the body 
taken by the nuns and dragged^ownstairs. I was informed 
that it was taken into the cellar, and thrown unceremoniously 
into the hole, covered with a great quantity of lime, and af- 
terwards sprinkled with a liquid of the properties and name of 
which I am ignorant." 

What is there in this transaction that would prevent its rep- 
etition in every nunnery in the land? In the terrible stories 
of the Inquisition, there is the same horrible spirit. Behold 
the helplessness of the victim, the cruelty of her persecutors, 
and the bondage of those who assisted in doing the terrible 
deed. 

THE TESTIMONY OF AN ESCAPED NUN. 

Miss Josephine M. Bunkley, the escaped novice, tells of the 
morals of St. Joseph's, in Maryland. This is her language: 
"Infractions of moral duty and departures from rectitude are 
the legitimate consequences of the system from which they 
spring, and whatever errors are committed by the sisters are 
justly chargeable to the reverend guides who teach them that 
it is not a mortal sin for a religieuse to yield to the solicita- 
tion of the priest." ''My recollections of my novitiate at St. 
Joseph's will ever be associated with a feeling of contempt and 
abhorrence for those men, who use their advantage of rank 
and position to the basest ends; and with deep thankfulness 
for my escape from insidious snares. It was a contemplation 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 



103 



of the peril to which I was exposed that first suggested the idea 
of escape. I could have borne toil, privation, and bodily mal- 
treatment, as the consequence of my own rashness and ill-ad- 
vised impetuosity; but the future wore too dark and terrible 
an aspect, that I should resign myself to its horrors." 

"A priest who had been engaged in exercising his pastoral 
functions at St. Joseph's was about to depart. All the sisters 
went to the room singly to receive the benediction. When 
my turn came, I went in, with downcast eyes and clasped hands 
as required, and knelt to receive the expected benediction. 
But instead of the pressure of the hand upon my head, I felt 
the impression of a kiss upon my forehead. Startled and con- 
fused by a salutation so unexpected and inappropriate, I stag- 
gered to my feet, ejaculated, almost unconsciously, the words, 
*0 Father!' but before I could recover my composure, seizing 
my wrist with his left hand, and encircling my waist with his 
right arm, he drew me towards him, and imprinted several 
kisses on my face before I was able to break from his revolt- 
ing embrace. Yet I was compelled, from prudential fears of 
the consequences, to be silent respecting his insulting treat- 
ment. What could I do? To whom could I go for redress 
and protection? If I had gone to the superior, I would have 
been denounced as a base calumniator of the holy Father, and 
punished for the offense. To fly was my only hope." 

A SISTER'S TREACHERY. 

In Baltimore, Rev. John W. Williams, D. D., pastor of the 
First Baptist Church, asked me if I had seen a Mrs. J. C. 
Workman, a worthy member of his church. I replied I had not 
seen her, but had letters from her. Her story was given me. 
She said: ''I was convinced that Romanism as a religion was 
a failure. It gave me no peace or comfort. I went and heard 
Dr. Williams preach Christ as the Saviour. The sermon met 
my soul's want. I gave myself to Christ and united with the 
First Baptist Church. After awhile my sister called upon 
me, and knowing that I was fond of children, asked me to ac- 
company her in a carriage to Mt. Hope, a kind of an insane 
asylum, and yet a place where children are also cared for. 



104 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

''When there we passed into a room. In a moment she 
withdrew and I found myself locked into a ward of an insane 
asylum without any commitment, or any reason for this treat- 
ment, except that I had given up Romanism and united with 
a Baptist Church. For two years I was treated to all kinds of 
inquisitorial torment in the hopes of driving me to insanity. 
I was put into a straight-jacket, held by four nuns under a 
pump, where water was pumped into my mouth until the 
blood flowed from my nose. At last after two years, I chanced 
to see an acquaintance in the ward, and writing on a cuff I 
gave to her the story how I was held a captive. Friends sup- 
posed me dead, as it was so given out. She gave the case to 
a lawyer who got out a writ of habeas corpus and rescued me 
from this living death." If this can happen to one sane wo- 
man what safety is there to any one whom Rome may chance 

to hate?" 

A NUN'S DAILY LIFE. 

By the constitution of their order, so many days are ap- 
pointed in which all the nuns are obliged to confess, from the 
Mother Abbess to the very wheeler; i. e., the nun that turns 
the wheel near the door, through which they give and receive 
everything they want. They have a father confessor and a 
father companion, who live next to the convent, and have a 
small grate in the wall of their chamber, which answers to the 
upper cloister or gallery of the convent. The confessor hath 
care of the souls of the convent, and he is obliged to say mass 
every day, hear confessions, administer the sacraments, and 
visit the sick nuns. There are several narrow closets in the 
church, with a small iron grate : One side answers to the clois- 
ter, and the other to the church. So the nun being on the in- 
side and the confessor on the outside, they hear one another. 
There is a large grate facing the great altar, and the holes of it 
are a quarter of a yard square ; but that grate is double ; that is, 
one within and another without, and the distance between both 
is more than a half yard. And beside these, there is another 
grate for relations, and benefactors of the community, which 
grate is single, and consists of very thin iron bars : the holes 
of such a grate are nearly a quarter and a half yard square. In 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 105 

all those grates the nuns confess their sins; for, on a solemn 
day, they send for ten or twelve confessors; otherwise they 
could not confess the fourth part of them, for there are in some 
monasteries no nuns, in others 80, in others 40, but this last 
is a small number. 

The nuns' father confessor hath but little trouble with the 
young nuns, for they generally send for a confessor who is a 
stranger to them, so that his trouble is with the old ones, who 
have no business at the grate. These trouble their confessor 
almost every day with many ridiculous trifles, and will keep 
the poor man two hours at the grate, telling him how many 
times they have spit in the church, how many flies they have 
killed, how many times they have flown into a passion with 
their lap dogs, and other nonsensical, ridiculous things like 
these; and the reason is because they have nothing to do, no- 
body goes to visit them nor cares for them; so sometimes they 
choose to be spies for the young nuns, when they are at the 
grate with their gallants ; and for fear of their Mother Abbess, 
they place some of the old nuns before the door of the parlor, 
to watch the Mother Abbess, and to give them timely notice 
of her coming; and the poor old nuns perform this office with 
a great deal of pleasure, faithfulness, and some profit, too. But 
I shall not say more of them, confining myself wholly to the 
way of living among the young nuns. 

Many gentlemen send their daughters to the nunnery when 
they are some five, some six, some eight years old, under the 
care of some nun of their relations, or else some old nun of 
their acquaintance; and there they get education till they are 
fifteen years old. The tutoress takes a great deal of care not 
to let them go to the grate, nor converse with men all the 
while, to prevent in them the knowledge and love of the world. 
They are caressed by all the nuns, and thinking it will be always 
so, they are very well pleased with their confinement. They 
have only liberty to go to the grate to their parents or rela- 
tions, and always accompanied with the old mother tutoress. 
And when they are fifteen years old, which is the age fixed by 
the constitution of all the orders, they receive the habit of a 
nun, and being the year of novitiate, which is the year of trial 



io6 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

to see whether they can go through all the hardships, fastings, 
disciplines, prayers, hours of divine service, obedience, pov- 
erty, chastity, and penances practiced in the monastery. But 
the prioress or abbess, and the rest of the professed nuns, do 
dispense with, and excuse the novices from all the severities, 
for fear that the novices should be dissatisfied with, and leave 
the convent. And in this they are very much in the wrong; 
for, besides that they do not observe the precepts of their mon- 
astical rule, they deceive the poor, ignorant, inexperienced 
young novices, who, after their profession and vows of perpe- 
tuity, do heartily repent they had been so much indulged. 
Thus the novices, flattered in the year of novitiate, and think- 
ing they will be so all their life time, when the year is expired, 
make profession, and swear to observe chastity, obedience, and 
poverty, during their lives, and clausura, i. e., confinement; 
obliging themselves, by it, never to go out of the monastery.' 

After the profession is made, they begin to feel the severity 
and hardships of the monastical life; for one is made a door- 
keeper, another turner of the wheel, to receive and deliver by 
it all the nuns' messages ; another bell nun, that is to call the 
nuns, when any one comes to visit them; another baker; an- 
other bookkeeper of all the rents and expenses, and the like; 
and in the performance of all these employments, they must 
expend a great deal of their own money. After this they have 
liberty to go to the grate, and talk with gentlemen, priests and 
friars, who only go there as a gallant goes to see his mistress. 
So when the young nuns begin to have a notion of the pleas- 
ures of the world, and how they have been deceived, they are 
heartily sorry ; but too late, for there is no remedy. xA.nd mind- 
ing nothing but to satisfy their passions as well as they can, 
they abandon themselves to all sorts of wickedness and amor- 
ous intrigues. 

There is another sort of nuns, whom the people call las for- 
cadas, the forced nuns; i. e., those who have made a false step 
in the world, and cannot find husbands, on account of their 
crimes being public. Those are despised and ill used by their 
parents and relations, till they choose to go to the nunnery. 
So by this it is easily known what sort of nuns they will make. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 107 

Now as to spending their time. They get up at six in the 
morning and go to prayers, and to hear mass till seven. From 
seven till ten, they work or go to breakfast, either in their 
chambers, or in the common hall. At ten they go to the great 
mass till eleven. After it they go to dinner. After dinner, 
they may divert themselves till two. At two they go to pray- 
ers, for a quarter of an hour, or (if they sing vespers) for half 
an hour; and afterwards they are free till the next morning. 
So every one is waiting for her devoto; that is, a gallant, or 
spiritual husband, as they call him. When it is dark, evenings, 
they send away the devotos, and the doors are locked up; so 
they go to their own chamber to write a billet, or letter to the 
spiritual husband, which they send in the morning to them, 
and get an answer; and though they see one another almost 
every day, for all that, they must write to one another ever)* 
morning. And these letters of love, they call the recreation of 
the spirit for the time the devotos are absent from them. 
Every day they must give one another an account of whatever 
thing they have done since the last visit ; and indeed there are 
warmer expressions of love and jealousy between the nun and 
the devoto, than between the real wife and husband 

CONVENT LIFE A HELL UPON EARTH. 

There are many Protestants, and even Protestant ministers, 
who delude themselves into saying — ''O, the Roman Catholic 
Church is different from what it once was ; it has greatly im- 
proved, so we have nothing to apprehend from its growth. '* 
We will quote Father Hogan's reply to this. He says : ''I tell 
you Americans, that you are mistaken in your inference. 
Priests, nuns and confessors are the same now that they were 
then, all over the world. Many of you have visited Paris, and 
do you not there see, at the present day, a lying-in hospital at- 
tached to every nunnery in the city? The same is to be seen 
in Madrid, and the principal cities of Spain. I have seen them 
myself in Mexico and in the city of Dublin, Ireland. And what 
is the object of these hospitals? It is chiefly to provide for the 
illicit offspring of priests and nuns, and such other unmarried 
females as the priests can seduce through the confessional. 




Her First Night in a Convent. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 109 

But it may be said there are no lying-in hospitals attached to 
nunneries in this country. True, there are not ; but I say, of 
my own knowledge, and from my own experience through the 
confessionals, that it would be well if there were ; there would 
be fewer abortions ; there would be fewer infants strangled and 
murdered. It is not generally known to Americans that the 
crime of producing abortion — a crime which our laws pro- 
nounce to be a felony — is a common, every day crime in Popish 
nunneries. It is not known to Americans, but let it henceforth 
be known to them, that strangling and putting to death infants 
is common in nunneries throughout this country." This is the 
testimony of scores of priests and nuns who have left the 
Church of Rome. 

Mrs. Margaret L. Sheppard, who was an inmate of Arno's 
Court Convent, Bristol, England, and who is well known in 
this country as a most useful, eloquent lecturer, endorsed by 
scores of Protestant ministers and some of the very best peo- 
ple in the land, says, in a book now before me : ''Oh, how many 
sad heart-breaking stories could the walls of the convent 
Arno's Court reveal if they were but able to speak ! How some 
priests who now walk with uplifted heads would shrink away 
from the gaze of their fellowmen, if their dark and evil deeds 
were known! And how unnecessary would such penitential 
nunneries be, if it were not for a licentious and lecherous 
priesthood ! These holy celibates, who are wolves in sheep's 
clothing, and who, under the cassock, carry a heart full of cor- 
ruption ; who know no pity when seeking to lure a young and 
innocent girl into sin — ah, how easy the church makes it for 
such lepers by placing the victim in a house of penance, and 
the child born of sin into one of the foundhng hospitals under 
the care of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul. 

''I do not hesitate to say," says this escaped nun, ''that 
eighty per cent, of the children in these institutions are the ille- 
gitimate offsprings of Roman Catholic priests; and Protest- 
ants sometimes vie with each other in giving large donations 
to support these foundling hospitals. 

"I have often been asked whether nunneries are places 
where Roman Catholic priests commit immorality with the 



no THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Sisters. All I can say is, that vv^hen a woman enters such an 
institution and takes her vow of obedience, she is told that 
she must do whatever is requested of her. She must sink her 
individuality into that of her spiritual superiors ; and should she 
be told to do anything that is against her conscience, then she 
is told that the moral obligation of the sin rests upon the one 
who told her under obedience to commit it, and that all she 
has to do is to be OBEDIENT ! Should she hesitate, then her 
Hfe becomes a perfect hell upon earth. For her there is no 
womanly sympathy. She is told that any intercourse between 
herself and the priest is similar in character to the shadowing 
of the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary, and that the body of the 
priest is sanctified, that it is her duty to submit to him, for 
the union thus effected is blessed of God, and is 'Holy.' It is 
usual for a Sister to go into retreat for one day when expect- 
ing a visit from these 'holy fathers.' Having acquainted the 
Reverend Mother of the date of the proposed visit, she gives 
the Sister permission to absent herself from the duties of the 
day. The priest arrives; he is shown into the retreat parlor; 
and no matter how long he remains there, no one will disturb 
him. He is supposed to be talking with his penitent on the 
welfare of her soul. Could any one look through the door 
they would find the confessor with his arms around the fair 
penitent, or, perhaps, in a far more compromising position. 
Does my reader ask whether the Sister is willing to submit to 
these embraces ? I answer that, in fifteen out of twenty cases. 
No ! But she is there helpless ; the priest has seen her, taken 
a fancy to her, and, willing or not, he compels her to allow him 
to satisfy his passion. Oh, God! Great God! when I think 
of this SYSTEM, this SYSTEM born of the devil, nurtured in 
hell, and realize that under the cloak of religion it is stealing 
away our liberties, entering into our homes, ruining our pure 
womanhood, despoiling childish purity, defiling everything 
with which it comes in contact, then in spite of all that has 
been said and done against me it seems as if I cannot remain 
quiet. But closing my eyes and ears to every other thing, I 
have to stand up, and cry out, and warn the people of this and 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. in 

Other lands of the great danger threatening us. Convent Hfe 
is a hell upon earth, it is a blot on any land." 

Sufficient has been said to prove that ''convent life is a hell 
upon earth." But the evidence of this fact has not just now 
been presented; it has been before the world for ages and cen- 
turies. Prophets and apostles, inspired of God, many cen- 
turies ago predicted the coming of Antichrist. Many figures, 
symbols, and names have been employed to designate and de- 
scribe this great foe of God and man. We are now regarding 
her as she is described by the Apostle John, as the ''Mother of 
harlots, and abominations of the earth." No system of iniquity 
that has ever arisen to curse the world has so completely and 
exactly corresponded to the prophetic description as the apos- 
tate Church of Rome. The dreadful "Beast" that came up 
"out of the bottomless pit" has reached the shores of this fair 
land, and is to-day bHghting, and withering, and cursing, and 
defiling everything with which it comes in contact. 

Again and again the attention of the rulers and people of 
these United States has been called to the convents and nun- 
neries that are so numerous in our free country, and that are 
a disgrace to our American civiHzation. Almost times without 
number evidence has been presented that these convents and 
nunneries are houses of prostitution and dens of moral un- 
cleanness. As such they should be raided by the police like 
other disorderly houses. 

The Constitution of the United States provides that no one 
shall be deprived of his liberty except for crime, nor "without 
due process of law," and yet there are nearly ninety thousand 
helpless women and girls confined within the gloomy walls of 
these prisons, called convents and nunneries, placed beyond 
the protection of our laws, and are held in bondage in violation 
of their constitutional rights. These many thousands of wo- 
men and young girls are pining away in unutterable misery and 
grief; separated from fond fathers, and mothers, and brothers, 
and sisters, and all that is dear to them on earth. We will give 
a simple, but very pathetic fact from Mrs. Margaret L. Shep- 
pard's book — "My Life in the Convent" — as a specimen of 
multitudes of similar cases. It appears that a young nun was 



112 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

dying of consumption and was in great distress of mind, feel- 
ing sure that she would have to spend a long time in purgatory. 
" 'I know/ she said, 'that I shall have a long purgatory.' She 
shuddered as she spoke. 'And oh ! I do hope the dear Sisters 
will remember me in their prayers and communion.' 

"Dear Sister Madaline," I said at last, "purgatory is better 
than hell; and Our Blessed Lady will intercede for you." 

" 'Yes, dear Sister Magdalene Adelaide,' she said, 'you are 
right; but oh! I cannot help the shudder that passes through 
me as I think of the suffering I shall be in for years, after all 
the mortifications I have practiced here, the discipline I have 
applied to myself, the days I have abstained from food, the pray- 
ers I have offered, the tears I have shed; and now that death 
approaches, there is no prospect before me but a long term of 
purgatorial punishment. Besides, the punishment will be all 
the greater since I have given way to unnatural thought.' 

"And what, may I ask, do you call an unnatural thought? 

" 'Sister Magdalene Adelaide, come close to me.' 

"I rose from my chair and knelt down beside her. 

" 'Dear Sister, I have endeavored to bear my cross,' she com- 
menced, speaking with difficulty; 'but oh! Sister, I dread the 
end. I have much to expiate, and oh !' she continued, her voice 
now choked with sobs, 'if I could only have my mother with 
me ; if I could only hear her voice once more ; it is so long since 
I have seen her. I have asked for any letter that may have 
come, but they tell me none has arrived, and oh ! I don't think 
my mother has quite forgotten me.' Presently she said, 'I 
know it is wrong to grieve so much ; but oh, I am so weak !' 

"Presently I heard her murmur, and, listening, I heard her 
whisper, 'My feet! oh, my feet!' I arose from my chair and 
removed the sheet, with the intention of rubbing her limbs; 
as I did so her feet were disclosed. A thrill of horror passed 
through my being as I looked at them; for they were all cut, 
festered and bruised. A fearful suspicion took possession of 
me, and stooping down, I picked up her shoes. On examina- 
tion I discovered in them pieces of broken glass. A thrill akin 
to horror ran through my whole frame. I held the shoes in 
my hands and looked at the pale, svififering face of Madaline as 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 113 

she lay on her bed ; and as I write this evening, the whole scene 
rises before me. There she lay; the sin of her past life being 
that she, too, had been deceived at the altars of Rome, a victim 
of priestly solicitation in the confessional. Even as she lay 
there in the last stages of consumption, traces of what had at 
one time been a beautiful face were clearly discernible. What 
had she not suffered for years ! And yet she was young — hard- 
ly twenty-five years old. 

"Oh, Madaline, poor, wounded, betrayed one! Who can 
wonder, as you lay there with the fever of consumption run- 
ning and coursing through your veins, that in spite of all the 
teachings and practices of self-denial in the convent life in 
which you had lived so many years, yet, when the hour of 
death drew nigh, and your soul was hovering on the borders 
of an unknown eternity, your thoughts went back once more 
to the old home scenes, and you longed, as only a child can, 
for the sight of your mother's face, the sound of your mother's 
voice, and the touch of the cool, soothing hand of your mother 
on your fevered brow? They tried to crush down the natural 
love that God placed in your heart for your mother, but they 
could not." 

It is the pride and boast of the American people that in no 
country in the world are women so respected, and honored, 
and protected as with us ; but where is the manhood and chiv- 
alry of American fathers and brothers, who will permit ninety 
thousand women to be held in bondage behind prison walls 
for the gratification of the licentious priests of Rome, without 
even so much as an earnest protest at the ballot-box against 
the monstrous outrage? Why do American statesmen seem 
indifferent to these foreign institutions, whose existence in this 
land is an affront to justice and an insult to the very spirit of 
our free institutions? Is it not because the priests of Rome 
control so many voters? 

NUN IMPRISONED IN A DUNGEON FOR TWENTY-ONE YEARS. 

Barbara Ubryk, a sister of the Carmelite Convent at Cracow, 
Poland, who was walled in a dungeon eight feet long and six 
wide, in complete darkness for twenty-one years, by the con-* 



114 



THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 



fessor and superioress of the convent, deserves a place in this 
terrible pronouncement against the barbarous opportunities 
placed at the disposal of the evil inclined of Romish wolves in 
sheep's clothing. 

This convent horror was made known through the instru- 
mentahty of a letter directed to the Court of Correction. It 
reads as follows : 

There is in the Carmelite Convent, close bv the botanical 
gardens of the North Suburb, a nun, Barbara Ubryk by name, 
who prays you, in the love of God to set her free ! She regu- 
larly entered the convent, after serving her novitiate, in 1846. 
In 1848, because she refused to give up her person to Father 
Calenski, she brought upon herself his hate and she was thrust 
into a half underground cell, next the privy sink of the con- 
vent. The cell window was then walled up with bricks and 
cemented by Father Calenski and the lady superioress, Mother 
Josepha. No aperture being left to it but a narrow slit near 
the top of the wall, about six inches long and two inches wide. 
The wall is so thick that no light ever comes in through this 
slit, and no fresh air. The door has always been kept, night 
and day, bolted, only being opened once every other day to 
allow a crust of bread, or a dish of mouldy potatoes, and a mug 
of water to be put into the cell. There is nothing in this cell 
of horror but a little straw; no bed, chair or table; not even 
a stool. The scanty clothes she had on when she was first 
put in the dungeon had been completely worn out and rotted 
away years ago. 

A SISTER'S FATE. 

"I have a sister, amiable and good in an inferior degree. At 
the age of twenty she left an infirm mother to the care of ser- 
vants and strangers, and shut herself up in a convent, where she 
was not allowed to see even the nearest relations. With a deli- 
cate frame, requiring every indulgence to support it in health, 
she embraced a rule which denied her the comforts of the low- 
est class of society. A course woolen frock fretted her skin; 
her feet had no covering but that of shoes, opened at the toes, 
that they might expose them to the cold of a brick fioor; a 
couch of bare planks was her bed, and an unfurnished cell her 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 115 

dwelling. Disease soon filled her conscience with fears ; and 
I had often to endure the torture of witnessing her agonies at 
the confessional. I left her w^hen I quitted Spain, dying much 
too slowly for her only chance of relief. I wept bitterly for her 
loss two years after, yet I could not be so cruel as to wish her 
alive." 

A FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE IN A CONVENT. 

At a convent in the north of Italy a fearful catastrophe oc- 
curred some years ago. A father determined to compel his 
daughter to take the veil, to which she was strongly disinclined ; 
but as she was treated with great brutality at home, she at 
length consented ; yet no longer had she pronounced her vows 
than she requested a private interview^ with him at the grate 
of the convent ; and being left alone with him, killed herself be- 
fore his eyes, and cursed him wath her last breath. This, how^- 
ever, is but one of the many narratives of horror which are 
well authenticated in connection with a seclusion so unnatural 
and injurious. 

All idea of escape is carefully excluded. In Italy the bond- 
age of a convent is rarely broken through. And wdiy? A 
woman who persisted in returning to the world would be visit- 
ed with the severest reprehensions ; her family considering 
themselves dishonored would refuse to receive her; her friends 
and acquaintances w^ould scarcely associate with her ; the finger 
of scorn w^ould point to her ; she must take the vows or die. 
Nor should the fact be overlooked, that, according to her su- 
perstitious teachers, she would by so doing endanger her sal- 
vation, or render it impossible. Fear supplies a powerful mo- 
tive to even a hated incarceration, and often the only one. 

CONVENT LIFE INDUCEMENTS. 

It will be naturally asked after such an enunmeration, which 
might be much extended, what is the great inducement to this 
prison-Uke life? To this it may be replied, that the chief rea- 
son avowed, is derived from the imagination that such a course 
is meritorious in the sight of God. Vain and delusive, indeed, 
is such a hope. They who have beheved in God are to be 



1 1 6 THB DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

''careful to maintain good works;" but of these a life of quie- 
tude or endurance in a convent is not likely to be productive. 
For works to be good, they must be right in principle, and 
spring from love to God ; and though there may be cases where 
this is exhibited in such circumstances, it is assuredly not ow- 
ing to any human devices, for "the love of God is shed abroad 
in our heart by the Holy Ghost which is given us." There is 
abundant reason, however, to think that this is but rarely pos- 
sessed by the inmates of convents, of whom it may generally 
be said that "they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and 
going about to establish their own righteousness, have not 
submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ 
is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that be- 
lieveth." "Without faith it is impossible to please God." In 
the exercise of this principle the whole trust of the soul is 
fixed in Christ ; and in direct contrast to it is the conduct of all 
who look for the enjoyment of the Divine favor to their own 
doings and sufferings. 

HOW ONE CONVENT WAS CLOSED. 

The New York Staats Zeitung, November 8, 1894, says: 
"Silvia Palmieri, a Neapolitan girl, was sent to Saints Joseph 
and Theresa Convent to be educated. The mother superior, 
Theresa Ferrante, seventy years of age, promised the parents 
of the girl that when she finished her education she could leave 
the convent or remain there and take the veil. But when the 
girl's parents called to take her home they were met by the 
mother superior, who told them that their daughter was very 
happy and wished to remain in the convent and bid farewell to 
the outside world, and did not desire to see her parents. They 
begged for a few moments' interview with their daughter, but 
were refused. They then appealed to the District Attorney 
and Police Commissioner, who with a number of police went 
to the convent and forced an entrance. When they entered,^ 
instead of finding a happy young girl, they found her in tears,, 
and she begged the officers to take her away from the convent. 
She said she had been seduced by gentlemen from Naples whO' 
visited the convent by consent of the mother superior, and to 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 117 

ascertain whether the girl's story was true or not a physician 
was called in to make an examination, and he stated that the 
girl spoke the truth. Upon these statements the mother su- 
perior was placed under arrest, Father Rasto, the father con- 
fessor, was dismissed, and the other girls were sent to their 
homes and the convent was closed. There is great excite- 
ment in Naples over the disclosure of this horrible affair, and 
all the papers have taken it up. This same convent was raided 
and cleaned out four years ago." 

NUNNERIES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. 

The conduct of priests in nunneries ought to be investigated. 
Nunneries should be examined, and every nun should be per- 
mitted to see a representative of the State alone, and apart 
from the surveillance of her keepers or companions, once a 
year. Because this was insisted on in Germany, the convent 
system was abandoned. It might be so here. 



THE BLACK VEIL. 

"One more unfortunate," 

Just in her bloom, 
"Rashly importunate," 

Gone to her doom! 
Foolish delusion — 
'Mid priestly confusion, 
She hopes, in seclusion. 

For Christ as her groom! 

Here on the brink of it 
Pause ye, and think of it — 

Canvass the truth : 

Beauty and youth 

Given to priest control! 
Cut from protection 
Of law and affection. 

Of friends and community- 

The priest's opportunity! 
God save her soul! 



ii8 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

See! the pale creature, 
In every feature 

Betrays her insanity, 

Bordering on vanity, 
Fanned by the priest; 

Void of humanity — 

In her insanity 
Wedding the Beast! 

Why does the world abide 
Such moral suicide, 

Black as the veil? 
A vile superstition 
Exacts the commission 
Of deeds of contrition 

Which turn the cheek pale. 

Gods! what a sight for men 
Civilized called, 
Who should be appalled 

At such a den! 
No one to know 
What she'll undergo 

But those who deceive her! 
Fareth she well or ill, 
She must endure it till 

Death shall relieve her. 



-Progressive Thinker. 



OPEN THE CONVENTS. 

To-day on these shores where no bondmen can be, 
Where fetters must burst and the slave be set free. 
Are prisons of darkness all over the land, 
Their keepers unseen, and their doings unscann'd; 
Where haply the innocent pine in despair, 
And cannot escape to the light and the air. 
But worn by the vigil, the scourge and the fast. 
Rot into the grave, their sole refuge, at last. 

Or hapl}' — for darkness is full of such deeds. 
Where stern Superstition with Cruelty breeds — 
The abbess may live, and the priest may be found 
Who rule as twin tyrants that Golgotha ground; 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 119 

And woe to the nuns disobedient then 
To the tempers of women and passions of men, 
Where anything foul can be done in the dark, 
Unstruck by Truth's spearpoint's electrical spark! — 

What! Isn't this libellous. — false from the first? — 
Protestant bigotry's slander at worst? — 
It may be — it must be — we hope for the best — 
But — open your Convcnts\ — this, this be the test! 
We gladh' would find they are homes of delight 
Where hearts are all happy and faces all right. 
Each abbess a mother, with daughters who love 
Their gloom as a foretaste of glory above! 

Yes — let in the light — let us hear the glad truth 
That priest never snared the fair maid or rich youth — 
That neither the nun nor the monk can be slaves. 
Unless they so v/ill it themselves, to their graves; 
Let us know they are free to depart or remain 
Unbound by that life-long tyrannical chain; 
Let us see for ourselves that no treasons are there, 
But — everything open, all right and all fair! 

If still supervision is warned from the gate, 
And prisoners alone are seen through the grate, 
If all that we prize in an honest man's home 
Is secretly crushed through the priestcraft of Rome — 
Well — nunneries heretofore have been torn down, 
When people suspected the cowl and the gown; 
And monkeries — Vi'itness St. Alban's and Froude — 
Had better keep clear of the rage of the crowd! — • 

— Tupper. 



NO HEAVEN THERE. 

This is no heaven! 
And yet they told me that all heaven was here, 
This life the foretaste of a life more dear; 

That all bej-ond this convent cell 

Was but a fairer hell; 
That all was ecstacy and song within, 
That all without was tempest, gloom, and sin. 

Ah me, it is not so. 

This is no heaven. I know! 



120 THB DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

This is not rest! 
And yet they told me that all rest was here, 
Within these walls the med'cine and the cheer 
For broken hearts; that all without 
Was trembling, weariness and doubt; 
Strong in life's flood to shelter and to save; 
This the still mountain lake. 
Which minds can never shake. 
Ah me, it is not so. 
This is not rest, I know! 

This is not light! 
And yet they told me that all light was here. 
Light of the holier sphere; 

That through this lattice seen, 

Clearer and more serene, 

The clear stars ever shone. 

Shining for me alone; 

And the bright moon more bright. 

Seen in the lone blue night 

By ever-watchful eyes, 

The sun of convent skies. 

Ah me, it is not so, 
■ This is not light, I know! 

This is not love! 
And yet they told me that all love was here. 
Sweetening the silent atmosphere; 

All green, without a faded leaf, 

All smooth, without a fret, or cross or grief. 

Fresh as young May, 
■ Yet calm as autumn's softest day; 

No balm like convent air, 

No hues of paradise so fair! 

A jealous, peevish, hating world beyond, 

W^ithin, live's loveliest bond; 

Envy and discord in the haunts of men. 

Here, Eden's harmony again. 

Ah, me, it is not so. 

Here is no love, I know! 

Here is no balm 
For stricken hearts; no calm 
For fevered souls; no cure 
For minds diseased. The impure 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 121 

Become impurer in this stagnate air; 

My cell becomes my tempter and my snare, 

And vainer dreams than e'er I dreamed before, 

Cro^vd in at its low doors; 

And have I fled, my God, from Thee, 

From thy glad love and liberty, 

And left the road where blessings fell like light, 

For self-made by-paths shaded o'er with night? 

Oh! lead me back, my God, 

To the forsaken road, 

Life's common beat that there, 

Even in the midst of toil and care, 

I may find Thee, 

And in thy love, be free. 

— H. Bonar. 



THE IMPRISONED NUN. 



An English Poem; But Just as Applicable to tlie United States. 

Cut off her golden tresses; take her from hearth and home, 

Bury her in a convent, under the seal of Rome; 

Place her within a dungeon, far from a mother's care. 

Let her not see the glad sunshine, nor breathe heaven's free fresh air. 

Place her behind a grating, to mumble a penance there. 
Let her not know her sister's kiss, nor join their evening prayer; 
Chant to the saints and Virgin, let a priest her gaoler be, 
That she may not hear of Jesus, and His salvation free. 

And trusting her sleek confessor, let her enter his fatal lair, 

To be shorn of her bright young tresses, and shorn of her virtue there; 

Sad, ruined, and forsaken, with withered, wasted cheek. 

She sits by the iron grating, in a grief no words can speak. 

As she thinks of her happy childhood, when she bent at her mother's knee, 
And heard the sweet voice of Jesus, "Ye weary, come to me." 
Then lifting her glance to heaven, with tearful, wistful eyes. 
Like the poor thief repentant, "Remember me!" she cries. 

And straight from the highest heaven, from Him who saves the lost. 
Came peace with fullest pardon to that heart so tempest-tossed; 
In the joy of sin forgiven she dreams once more of home, 
Ere her maiden heart had been beguiled by the wily priests of Rome. 




Cutting- ' Oif the Golden Tresses Before Taking the Veil. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 123 

She dreams of the bright home-circle: once more she is a girl, 

With unstained brow and laughing lip, with dancing golden curl; 

A sister's kiss of love she feels, she hears her mother's voice 

As she reads once more the Shepherd's words, "Rejoice with me, rejoice!'' 

Like a sobbing infant sleeping upon its mother's breast, 

Her weary, happy spirit, sped away to endless rest; 

Her double prison trembled, convent and mortal clay. 

As the angel escort bore her home to Christ and cloudless da^/. 

And when again at even-tide the shadows fall around. 
The gaoler-priest shall pass that way, but she'll not hear the sound. 
Escaped from the fowler's snaring, from convent, bolt and key, 
She is present with her Savior, blessed, redeemed, and free. 

Nor yet the golden morning; when it peepeth in that cell. 
Shall wake the silent sleeper, whose lips no tales shall tell; 
And e'en the angels drop a tear on that placid, marble face, 
Whose chiselled lines of sorrow deep mingle with peerless grace.' 

Look on her, father! mother! Can ye read the story there? 

The story of her hidden grief, her bitter shame and care? 

Is this the jewel that was yours, now blighted, withered, banned? 

Oh, guard the jewels that remain from that cursed confessor's hand. 

What means this tramp of the gaoler-priest on England's once fair ground? 
And why do England's daughters weep when he goes his warder round? 
What mean these gloomy, grated walls, this bolt and lock and key? 
Rise, England, in the strength of God and set those prisoners free. 



III. 

THE WICKED LIVES OF THE 

POPES 



SOME OF THE MOST UNHOLY MEN THE WORLD HAS EVER 

KNOWN. 

Every truly magnanimous man must shrink from wantonly, 
or unnecessarily, exposing the moral frailties and delinquen- 
cies of his fellow mortals, but the cause of truth sometimes 
demands that this be done, and as the Church of Rome puts 
forth the presumptuous claim of being ''the only true church, 
out of which there is no salvation," and as her popes claim di- 
vine attributes and powers, and have committed to them the 
keys of heaven and hell, as the holy successors of the Apostles 
of Christ, they ought to be able to show that, all the popes, 
from Peter to Leo XIII. had been very holy men. This must 
be admitted. But if it can be shown that the popes of Rome, 
instead of having been the most holy of men, have been the 
most unholy and immoral men the world has ever known, then 
it will necessarily follow that all the claims of the Romish 
Church are based on deception and falsehood. 

We shall be compelled to confine ourselves to but a few 
names out of the many. 

POPE JOHN VIII. 

was enriched with a great number of costly presents by the 
Emperor, Charles the Bald, in return for the service of the 
pope in causing him to be elected Emperor. Upon the death 
of Louis 11. a fierce and bloody contention for the empire en- 
sued among the descendants of Charlemagne. Through the 
favor of the pope, however, Charles, the grandson of Charle- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 125 

magne, was successful. Advancing to Rome, at the invitation 
of the pontiff, he was crowned by him with great solemnity, in 
the Church of St. Peter, on Christmas day, 875, the same day 
on which his celebrated ancestor had been crowned in the 
same place seventy-five years before, by Pope Leo III. It is 
worthy of remark that the artful pope spoke of his coronation 
as giving a right to the empire, thus insinuating that he had 
the power of controUing the empire, and from this time for- 
ward the popes claimed the right of confirming the election of 
the emperor. In a sentence pronounced by Pope John upon 
a certain bishop, Formosus, is the following expression : "He 
has conspired with his accomplices against the safety of the re- 
public, and our beloved son Charles, WHOM WE HxWE 
CHOSEN, and consecrated emperor." This pope was a mon- 
ster of cruelty and blood. He approved and commended the 
horrible and inhuman conduct of Athanasius, Bishop of Naples, 
who put out the eyes of his own brother Sergius, of the same 
city, and sent him in that state to the pope, to answer to the 
charge of rebellion against the Holy See. 

He applied to the unnatural Athanasius the words of the 
Saviour, ''he that loveth father or mother" (the pope added 
'brother') more than me, is not worthy of me," and promised 
to send him, as a reward for his horrible cruelty, a handsome 
present. It soon appeared, however, that the bishop had 
more regard to himself than to the Pope in this unnatural 
transaction, for he soon seized on his brother's vacant duke- 
dom, and in his turn was excommunicated by the Pope. When 
afterwards the bishop sent to implore absolution of the Pope, 
the bloodthirsty pontiff sent him a reply that the only terms 
upon which he would grant him absolution were that he should 
deliver up to his vengeance several men, of whose names he 
sent him a list, and that he should cut the throats of the rest 
of the Pope's Saracen enemies in the presence of his legate. 
Such was the cruel spirit of this "holy" successor of the apos- 
tles — this link in the unbroken chain of the apostolic succes- 
sion ! 



126 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

SERGIUS III. 

The tenth century is spoken of in history as "the midnight 
of the human mind." Near the beginning of this century 
three notorious and abandoned prostitutes were in ahnost su- 
preme control of Rome, viz. : Theodora, and her two daugn- 
ters, Marozia and Theodora. This shameful state of things 
was the result of the unbounded influence of the Tuscan party 
in Rome, and the adulterous relations of these wicked women 
with the heads of that party. INIorozia cohabited with Adel- 
bert, one of the powerful counts of Tuscany, and had a son by 
him named Alberic. Pope Sergius II., who was raised to the. 
papacy in 904, also cohabited with this woman, and by his holi- 
ness she had another son, named John, who afterwards ascend- 
ed the papal throne, through the influence of his licentious 
mother. Baronius, himself a Roman Catholic historian, con- 
fesses that Pope Sergius was the slave of every vice and the 
most wicked of men. Platina, also a Roman Catholic writer, 
declares that Pope Sergius rescinded the acts of Pope For- 
mosus, and compelled those whom he had ordained, to be re- 
ordained, caused his dead body to be dragged from the sepul- 
chre, and beheaded, as though he were alive, and then cast into 
the Tiber! 

POPE JOHN X. 

was the paramour of the harlot, Theodora. While a deacon 
of the church at Ravenna, he used frequently to visit Rome, 
and possessing a comely person, as we are told by Luitprand, 
a contemporary historian, being seen by Theodora, she fell 
passionately in love with him, and engaged him in a criminal 
intrigue. He was afterwards chosen bishop of Ravenna, and 
upon the death of Pope Lando, in 914, this shameless woman, 
for the purpose of facilitating her adulterous intercourse with 
her favorite paramour, ''as she could not live at the distance 
of two hundred miles from her lover," had influence enough 
to cause, him to be raised to the papal throne. Mosheim says 
the paramour of Pope John was the eldest harlot Theodora, 
but his translator, Dr. Maclaine, agrees with the Romish his- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 127 

torian, Fleury (who admits these disgraceful facts), in the 
more probable theory that it was the younger Theodora, the 
sister of Marozia. 

POPE JOHN- XI. 

was a bastard son of his holiness. Pope Sergius III., who, as 
we have seen, was one of the favorite lovers of the notorious 
Marozia. The death of Pope Stephen, in 931, presented to 
the ambition of Marozia, says Mosheim, an object worthy of 
its grasp, and accordingly she raised to the papal dignity John 
XL, who was the fruit of her lawless amours with one of the 
pretended successors of St. Peter, whose adulterous commerce 
gave an infallible guide to the Roman Church ! But we might 
write volumes on the vile characters that have occupied the 
papal chair, and, indeed, volumes have been written on this 
subject. Suffice it then to simply quote a paragraph or two 
from the pages of Rev. Albert Barnes, in his ''Notes." "Pope 
Vagilius that waded to the pontifical throne through the blood 
of his predecessor. Pope Marcellinius, sacrificed to idols. Con- 
cerning Pope Honorius, the Council of Constantinople de- 
creed : ''We have caused Honorius, the late Pope of old 
Rome, to be accursed; for that in all things he followed the 
mind of Sergius the heretic, and confirmed his wicked doc- 
trines." The Council of Basil thus condemned Pope Eugeni- 
us : "We condemn and depose Pope Eugenius, a despiser of 
holy canons ; a disturber of the peace and unity of the Church 
of God ; a notorious offender of the whole universal church ; 
a Simonist, a perjurer ; a man incorrigible ; a schismatic ; a man 
fallen from the faith, a wilful heretic." Pope John II. was 
publicly charged at Rome with incest; Pope John XIII. usurp- 
ed the pontificate, spent his time in hunting, in lasciviousness 
and monstrous forms of vice. He fled from the trial to which 
he was summoned, and was stabbed, being taken in an act of 
adultery. Pope Sixtus IV. licensed brothels at Rome. Pope 
Alexander VI. was, as a Roman Catholic historian says, "one 
of the greatest and most horrible monsters in nature that 
could scandalize the papal chair. His beastly morals, his im- 
mense ambition, his insatiable avarice, his detestable cruelty, 
his furious lusts and monstrous incest with his daughter Lu- 



128 '^HB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

cretia, are at large described by Guicciardini Cianconius, and 
other authentic papal historians. Of the Popes, Platina, a 
Roman Catholic, says : The chair of St. Peter was usurped, 
rather than possessed by monsters of wickedness, ambition 
and bribery. They left no wickedness unpracticed." Surely 
there has never lived a succession of men so wicked, or to 
whom the appellative, *'the man of sin," could be so appropri- 
ately applied as to the Popes of Rome. 

*'The man of sin" is also ''the son of perdition." Rev. Al- 
bert Barnes says of this epithet: ''This is the same appella- 
tion which the Saviour bestowed on Judas. It may mean 
either that he would be the cause of ruin to others, or that he 
would himself be devoted to destruction. The phrase, which 
ever interpretation be adopted, is used to denote one of emi- 
nent wickedness." It is certain that in both senses it is emi- 
nently true of the papacy; for that the apostolic church has 
been the destroyer of millions, and is herself to be destroyed. 
We shall see in a future chapter that "the beast" spoken of in 
Revelations XVII: 8-11, is the same Little Horn, and it is 
there said that he "shall go into perdition." Now these are 
not "Protestant lies," as priests and bishops of Rome at the 
present day declare, they are historical facts acknowledged by 
the most eminent Roman Catholics, annalists and historians, 
as we have seen. The following remarkable acknowledgment 
is from the Cardinal Bronius, one of the most powerful cham- 
pions of popery, in reference to these events : "O ! what was 
then the fate of the holy Roman Church! How filthy, when 
the vilest and most powerful prostitutes ruled in the court of 
Rome ! by whose arbitrary sway dioceses were made and un- 
made, bishops were consecrated, and — which is inexpressibly 
horrible to be mentioned— FALSE POPES, THEIR PARA- 
MOURS, were thrust into the chair of St. Peter, who, in being 
numbered as Popes, serve no purpose but to fill up the cat- 
alogues of the Popes of Rome, for who can say that persons 
thrust into the popedom by harlots of this sort were legitimate 
Popes of Rome? In this manner LUST, supported by secu- 
lar power, excited to frenzy, in the rage for domination, 
RULED IN ALL THINGS." And yet, these "monsters of 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 129 

wickedness" are recognized, and some of them even worship- 
ped, as the holy and infalHble vicars of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and the ''holy successors of the apostles." What an infamous 
fraud ! 

The writers of the Romish Church attempt to reconcile the 
crimes of the bishops and popes with their high claims to holi- 
ness. Among other childish and illogical arguments some of 
them make the distinction between the man and the pope. As 
men they sin; but as popes they are holy. Which recalls the 
reply of an humble gardener to his employer, who was an arch- 
bishop. The archbishop being vexed on account^ of the de- 
struction of some favorite plants, scolded the poor gardener, 
and in doing so ''swore like a trooper." Noticing the surprise 
of the trembling workman, the archbishop said, "You seem to 
be shocked to hear an archbishop swear ; but you know, John, 
I do not swear as an archbishop; I swear only as a man." 
"May I ask your excellency," said the gardener, "when the 
MAN goes to the devil, what will become of the archbishop?" 

POPES GUILTY OF NUMEROirS CRIMES. 

"Rome does not keep faith with history as it is handed down 
to her and marked out for her by her own annals." And what 
is the reason? The reason is, that Romanism cannot and 
dare not face her own history. This is true in every essential 
particular relating to the Church. For instance : almost every 
doctrine or dogma outside of immediate Christian biblical doc- 
trine, almost every dogma of the Roman Catholic Church is 
exploded by history; as for example, the papacy, infallibility, 
temporal power, purgatory. All these are wholly unsubstan- 
tial in the light of history. Take all the assumptions of the 
papacy of Rome, which depend on the allegation that Peter 
was the first Bishop of Rome. Now, from the very best evi- 
dence that I can get on both sides, Peter was never in Rome, 
and that has been the opinion of many of the most learned 
theologians and historians. In a debate in Rome some years 
ago, after free Italy took possession and made debate possible, 
all the weight of argument and all the truth of history was on 
the side of the belief that Peter was never in Rome. That the 



I30 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

office of Bishop was held by him is without one bit of proof. 
The Bible says nothing abovit it, nor does tradition for a hun- 
dred years, nor do the fathers who came directly after the 
apostles. All tradition points the other way. Take another 
Romish dogma: AVe have in the papacy the figment of the 
apostolic succession. They think that Peter was in Rome and 
was the first Bishop, and handed down his power to his suc- 
cessors ; but to whom they do not know. Roman Catholic 
historians cannot agree, for their lives, on who the next four 
Popes after Peter are. There is no concord of opinion. I 
have here a book (Edgar's ''Variations of Popery,") which 
quotes one hundred and seventy and more of the leading writ- 
ers, historians and fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, and 
the summation of their teaching is, that they do not know who 
the first four Popes were after Peter, who never was a Pope ! 
Where is your unbroken apostolical succession? Nowhere. 
There is no such thing in history. 

And now further. In this apostolic succession there are 
many Popes, of some of whom it is altogether uncertain 
whether they were legally Popes or not. There are at least 
four periods where there were two Popes at once, and how 
they did curse each other ! I never heard or read such curs- 
ing, except as between Popes. You remember what a gift at 
that Pius IX. had. Well, from the first, — and that is one 
reason why we know Peter was never a Pope,— ^from the first, 
these Popes had used the most diabolical language towards one 
another when there happened to be two of them. And on 
two separate occasions there were three Popes. Now which 
of the three was Pope, when all claimed to be? They were 
all cursing, — if that is any mark of a Pope, — every man of 
them anathematizing and denouncing the other. At the time 
known as the great schism, occurring from and after 1378, there 
was a period of seventy years in which the air was blue with 
their mutual anathemas, and the apostolic succession was 
wholly unsettled. Now, you remember that these Popes were 
all infallible. I affirm to you that, by the authority of Roman 
Catholic historians, many of these Popes were guilty of the 
most infamous crimes, and that the Councils of the Roman 




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132 ' ▼ THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Catholic Church itself have characterizejd many of the Popes 
in language so dreadful that it is hardly fit to be read before 
any audience. What did the Council at Constance say con- 
cerning John XXIIL, who was a Pope of Rome? I will read 
as much as I dare to you. ''The Council seeing no other al- 
ternative, resolved to depose John for immorality. The Sacred 
Synod of Constance, in the twelfth session, convicted His Holi- 
ness of schism, heresy, incorrigibleness, simony, impiety, im- 
modesty, unchastity, fornication, adultery, incest, rape, piracy, 
lying, robbery, murder, perjury and infidelity." This was John 
XXHL, Pope of Rome; and that is what the Council of Con- 
stance said of him, the very same Council that burnt John Huss 
and Jerome of Prague. Nor was he an exception either; for 
what do they say concerning another of the Popes? Benedict 
VHL, the Council convicted of ''schism, heresy, error, per- 
tinacity, incorrigibility, and perjury." At the same time, the 
Popes had their opinion of the Councils, too, as you will find; 
for the Council of Basil incurred the displeasure of Eugenius, 
who was the Pope at that time ; and you ought to know what an 
infallible Pope thought of that infallible Council. This assem- 
bly he called "block heads, fools, mad men, barbarians, wild 
beasts, malignants, wretches, vagabonds, renegades, apostates, 
rebels, monsters, criminals, a conspiracy, an innovation, a de- 
formity, a conventicle, distinguished only for its temerity, sac- 
rilege, audacity, machinations, impiety, tyranny, ignorance, 
irregularity, fury, madness, and the dissemination of falsehood, 
error, scandal, poison, pestilence, desolation, unrighteousness 
and iniquity." That is what he said. If the Pope told the 
truth, the Council was indeed a fearful set of villains ; if he 
told a lie, he was a fearful villain himself. 

AN AWFUL PICTURE OF THE POPEDOM. 

Can Romanism appeal to history for sanction of papal infal- 
libility? Shall I have time to tell you of the monsters of in- 
iquity that some of these Popes were? "But the Roman Cath- 
olic hierarchs of the middle and succeeding ages exhibited 
a melancholy change. Their lives displayed all the variations 
of impiety, malevolence, inhumanity, ambition, debauchery, 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPQSHD. 133 

gluttony, sensuality, deism and theism. Gregory the Great 
seems to have led the way in the career of villainy. This well- 
known pontiff has been characterized as worse than his prede- 
cessors, and better than his successors, or, in other terms as 
the last good and the first bad Pope. The flood-gates of mor- 
al dissolution appeared, in the tenth century, to have been set 
wide open, inundations of all impurity poured on a Christian 
world through the channel of the Roman Catholic hierarchs. 

Awful and melancholy indeed is the picture of the popedom 
at this era, drawn as it has been by its warmest friends) Pla- 
tina, Petavius, Luitprand, Genebrard, Bronius, Plermann, Bar- 
clay, Binius, Giannone, Vignier, Labbe, and DuPin. (Edgar's 
"Variations of Popery," pp. 108-9.) 

''Fifty Popes," says Genebrard, "in one hundred and fifty 
years, from John VIII. to Leo IX., entirely degenerated from 
the sanctity of their ancestors and were apostolical. Forty pon- 
tiffs reigned in the tenth century. The successor in each in- 
stance, seems demoralized even beyond his predecessor." Ba- 
ronius, a famous Roman Catholic historian, in his annals of the 
tenth century seems to labor for language to express the de- 
generacy of the Popes, and the fearful deformity of the pope- 
dom. 

MONSTERS IN THE PONTIFICAL CHAIR. 

"Many shocking monsters," he says, "intruded into the pon- 
tifical chair, who were guilty of murder, assassination, simony, 
dissipation, tyranny, sacrilege, perjury, and all kinds of mis- 
creancy." "The Church," says Giannone, "was then in a 
shocking disorder, in a state of iniquity." The greatest of 
the Popes was Gregory VII., known as Hildebrand. Now con- 
cerning Gregory VII. wx have an opinion, and we have a de- 
claration from Roman Catholics of the highest standing in 
those times, that he was elected through force and bribery 
and without the concurrence of the emperor or clergy. He 
obtained his supremacy, in the general opinion, by gross si- 
mony; but he had the hardihood to pretend that his dignity 
was intruded on him against his will. The Councils of Worms 
and Brescia depicted his character with great precision. The 
Council of Worms, comprehending forty-six of th^ German 
9 



134 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

prelacy, met in 1076, and preferred numerous imputations 
against Gregory. This synod found his holiness guilty of 
usurpation, simony, apostasy, treason, schism, heresy, chican- 
ery, dissimulation, fornication, adultery and perjury. His hol- 
iness, in the sentence of the German prelacy, preferred harlots 
to women of character, and adultery and incest to just and 
holy matrimony. The Council of Brescia, which was com- 
posed of thirty bishops, and many princes from Italy, France 
and Germany, called Gregory a fornicator, an imposter, an as- 
sassin, a violator of the canons, a disseminator of discord, a 
disturber. He had sown scandal among friends, dissensions 
among the peaceful, and separation among the married. The 
Brescian fathers then declared his holiness guilty of bribery, 
usurpation, simony, sacrilege, vain-glory, ambition, obstinacy, 
perverseness, sorcery, divination, necromancy, schism, heresy, 
infidelity, assassination and perjury." These are the words 
of Councils of the Roman Catholic Church concerning the 
character of the greatest Pope — unless Innocent III. disputes 
that eminence with him — that ever sat in the papal chair in 
Rome. Boniface III. Vv^as as bad or worse. Sixtus IV. in 
147 1, just before the discovery of America, is characterized in 
terms as horrible. Of one of the Popes it is said, he was con- 
victed of forty crimes. 

Alexander VL, Pope of Rome, was a Borgia, and the very 
name is associated with the wickedest of wickedness. If ever 
there was a monster on earth who was guilty of every imagin- 
able crime that could belong to a person who had disgraced 
human nature by the vilest uses, Alexander VI. was one of 
those men. 

Now my friends, I will give you a morsel that is more re- 
markable than anything yet said. I hold in my hand a mod- 
ern history, which I suppose the Romish Church intends to put 
in the place of Swinton's. This modern history was written 
by Peter Fredet, D. D., and was published by J. Murphy & Co., 
of New York, in the 3'-ear 1886. On the 511th page of this 
history I find the following declaration about these Popes : 
"It is true, a few among them gave great scandal to the Chris- 
tian world in their private character and conduct ; but it ought 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 135 

to be remembered at the same time, that, through a special 
protection of Divine Providence, the irregularity of these 
lives did not interfere with their public duty, from which they 
never departed. The beneficial influence of sacred jurisdic- 
tion does not depend on the private virtue of the persons in- 
vested with it ; but on their divine mission and appointment to 
feed the Christian flock. Nor did Christ promise personal 
sanctity to its chief pastors; but gave to them authority to 
teach and govern the faithful." That is Roman Catholic his- 
tory. Monstrous ! Monstrous ! ! The Popes, who, by Ro- 
man Catholic authority, are characterized in terms that carry 
with them utmost condemnation, are declared by a Roman 
Catholic historian, in 1886, to be so corrected in their admin- 
istration that it makes no difference how they live ! They are 
equally infallible, whatever their vices and crimes! 



NINETEEN" CENTURIES OF ROMAN CATHOLIC POPISH HISTORY. 



Century I. 

The names of the bishops of Rome succeeding Peter stand 
thus: Linus, Cletus, Clement. Of these three Linus and 
Clement are mentioned in St. Paul's epistles. We incHne to 
the view that Linus was a British name and that he was a Brit- 
ish prince, converted through St. Paul while in Rome. Dur- 
ing this century Christianity spread with great rapidity 
throughout the bounds of the Roman empire and as far west 
as Spain, Gaul, Britain, and Ireland. 

Century II. 

During this century appear as writers, Polycarp, Papias, 
Irenaeus, TertulHan, Hermes, and Hermas, some of whom 
died martyrs. In this century the persecutions of Trajan, An- 
toninus, Aurelius, and Commodus swept over the Church. 

For the first time mention is made by Papias of St. Peter 
being in Rome. As yet there is no allusion to his primacy 
or pontificate. 



136 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: ' ■ 

Century III. 

In this century six persecutions swept over the Church, from 
Severus to Diocletian. Thousands suffered martyrdom, but 
the Word of God was not bound. 

Century IV. 

In this century persecution ceased. Constantine, the em- 
peror, becomes Christian, calls a general council at Nice. The 
Pope does not preside. Before the century closes the Church 
is in transition towards paganism. 

Century V. 

Among the bishops of Rome Zozimus stands pre-eminent 
for heresy and vacillation. During this period, under the la- 
bors of St Patrick, Columba, and their disciples, Ireland, Scot- 
land, and England, were, to a large extent, converted to Chris- 
tianity. 

Century VI. 

Up to this time there is little said about Peter's primacy or 
pontificate. The two centuries before were remarkable for 
heresies, this for schisms. 

Century VII. 

Gregory the Great heads the Hst of Popes for this century, 
noted as the author of the Gregorian Chant, the founder of 
the Romish mission to England, and the bishop who declared 
that "whosoever would receive the title of universal bishop" 
would proclaim by that act, that he was the forerunner of anti- 
christ. A few years later Boniface III. received the title which 
the Popes claim ever since. During this period Mohamme- 
danism arose. 

Century VIII. 

This century was noted for the controversy about image 
worship, in which the emperor and the Popes took part, the 
one against and the others for; while the Saracens began to 
make war on the empire and the Church in the East, destroy- 
ing images as they went. Under Adrian I. the Isodore decre- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 137 

tals were first forged and brought to light to convince Char- 
lemagne that Constantine had conferred the sovereignty of 
Rome and the supremacy of the Church on the Popes. In 
this century Charles Martel rolled back the Saracenic invasion, 
and Pepin and Charlemagne defeated the Lombards, conferred 
their estates on the Church, and the sovereignty on the Popes. 

Century IX. 

During the close of the last and beginning of this century 
Christianity was forced upon several pagan tribes, who were 
conquered by Charlemagne. Some historians place the fe- 
male Pope, Joan, as next to Leo IV., while others deny her ex- 
istence altogether. The profligacy of the Popes gave rise to 
the story. The infallibility of the Popes of this age did not 
prevent them from abusing the names and remains of their 
predecessors, for sometimes the relatives of the deceased Pope 
carry away treasures from the palace before the breath left the 
reigning pontiff. Formosa was scarcely dead, when his suc- 
cessor, Stephen VII. had his remains dragged from the tomb 
and deposed from the pontificate. The head was cut off, the 
body disrobed, and cast into the Tiber. 

Century X. 

Two links in the chain of succession of this century appear 
broken in connection with the names of Benedict and John. 
Never did history present so large a class of criminals in sue- 
cession as the Popes of the tenth century. Between rebellious 
nobles and licentious women, the Popes of that age were like 
mere puppets, handed up and down the papal throne. 

Benedict IV., attempting to interfere in the conflicts of the 
Italian feudal chiefs, was put to death; Leo V. died in a dun- 
geon ; Christopher perished after a reign of a few months ; 
Theodora, a Roman lady of fortune, had one of her paramours 
put upon the papal throne under the name of Sergius III. ; 
Sergius subsequently lived in licentious intercourse with 
mother and daughter. He fell by violence to make room for 
new favorites ; Anastasius III. and Lando arose to the papal 
throne through the influence of these women, soon to go down 



138 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

in shame and death; another lover of Theodora ascended the 
papal throne as John X., who perished through the jealousy of 
Marozia, the daughter of Theodora the Second; I^eo VI. and 
Stephen VIIL, raised to the papal throne through Marozia, 
were within two years put out of the way by poison and dagger; 
in A. D. 931 she had her own son, Octavian, by Sergius III., 
raised to the papal throne as John XL, who died shortly after 
in prison and of poison. The next four Popes leave nothing 
but their names to posterity. The two, Theodora and Maro- 
zia, with their paramours and sins, passed on to eternity, when, 
in 956, A. D., a grandson of Marozia, ascended the papal 
throne as John XIL, who exceeded all that ever went before 
in licentiousness and vice. On his mistresses he squandered 
much of the gold of the palace and the churches. Female 
pilgrims visiting the shrines of the saints in Rome were ruined 
in Lateran Palace. This Pope was killed in the act of adultery 
by the injured husband of his paramour, hto VIIL was raised 
to the papal throne by Otho, emperor of Germany, but the 
Romans rejected him and elected Benedict V. Thus two 
Popes reigned at the same time until the emperor banished 
Benedict, and Leo died shortly after, and John XIII. was 
raised to power, who introduced the baptism of bells. This is 
history made and recorded by Catholic historians. 

Century XI. 

Sylvester II., who stands at the head of the Popes of this 
century, whose former name was Gerbert, and one of the 
greatest scholars of the age, said a few years before that ''The 
Popes were antichrists, sitting in the temple of God." Yet, 
when Sylvester reached the papal throne, he was unable to re- 
form its abuses. The year A. D. 1000 came, and many sup- 
posed the end of the world was come. A general terror reign- 
ed over Europe; thousands gave their estates to the Church 
and fled into the monasteries to prepare for eternity. The 
wheels of commerce stood still, men forsook their office and 
business to retire to monastic life until the new year dawned 
with a new hope and a new millennium 

The next three Popes passed scarcely noticed in history. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 139 

Benedict VIIL, a boy of twelve years, was raised to the throne 
by the Counts of Tusc!him, became more noted for all kinds of 
profligacy and vice than even John XII. He plunged into 
every species of debauchery and crime, and to his Hcentious- 
ness he added cruelty, so that the Roman people banished 
him from the city. 

HILDEBRAND. 

A monk of low origin, but of great energy, accompanied 
Gregory VI. in his exile, entered the monastery of Cluni, and 
soon became its abbot to await a higher call and greater power. 
Clement Damascus and five other Popes followed in quick suc- 
cession to the grave, some of them living only a few months 
after their election, and two of them, Alexander and Honorius, 
rival Popes, for six years. Leo and Alexander were mere tools 
in Hildebrand's hands. Alexander died, and the cardinals as- 
sembled for the election of a new Pope. Hildebrand was chosen 
and crowned with great solemnity Gregory VII. The real an- 
tichrist was now on the throne of power. He set out to en- 
force celibacy on all the clergy, so as to chain them to the 
wheels of his throne and to erect the hierarchy into a universal 
empire over all kingdoms, of which himself and his successors 
should be the visible head, whose laws were to be above all 
laws, and whose decrees were to be to all kings, rulers, and 
subjects as the voice of God. Gradually he sought to spread 
these views, through his bishops and clergy, in various parts 
of Christendom. He had favored, when cardinal, the conquest 
of England by William of Normandy. Now the Normans of 
England and France are his friends. He aimed at a uniformity 
of ritual for all the Churches, and a unity of action by all the 
priesthood. Pie foresaw the difftculty between Henry VI., of 
Germany, and his vassal subjects, and threw himself into the 
struggle, resolving to humble the emperor, and thus teach all 
rulers that they were subject to him. The Pope assembled a 
synod at Rome, to which he cited the emperor to appear un- 
der penalty of excommunication. The emperor refused, and 
was excommunicated, and the empire was laid under interdict. 
The interdict shut up all churches, arrested all church ser- 
vices and sacraments, so that the people were left to die with- 



I40 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

out what they considered the means of salvation. Henry, find- 
ing himself deserted and his empire offered to another, set out 
in the depth of winter to do homage to the Pope at the castle 
of Canossa, the home of the Countess Matilda, with whom 
the Pope was on such intimate terms that the morality of the 
countess stands in doubt. She willed him and the Church 
nearly all her vast estates in Italy. For three days did Henry, 
in a white woolen shirt, do penace on his knees in the deep 
snow in the castle yard before the Pope would admit him to 
his presence. And when the Pope lifted the interdict it was 
done with such harsh conditions that the monarch never for- 
got the insult. The Pope's cruel treatment of the emperor 
aroused the sympathies of the people for their ruler. Scarce- 
ly had he left the castle until he returned with a host of Italian 
soldiers to lay siege to the Pope, but the countess assisted the 
Pope in his flight, who did not tarry until he reached Rome. 
Thither the emperor pursued Gregory, who, when he found 
the Romans opened the gate of the city, shut himself up in the 
Castle of St. Angelo, while the emperor, the clergy, and no- 
bles raised Guibert, archbishop of Ravenna, to the pontificate 
under the name of Clement III. Shortly after, abandoned by 
the Roman citizens Gregory VII. died in exile at Salerno, 
breathing out with his last breath anathemas against the em- 
peror and his adherents. Popes Victor III. and Urban II., 
who followed, endeavored to carry out Hildebrand's plans in 
reference to supremacy over the Church and the world. The 
priests were no longer allowed to marry, and the next two 
centuries will show the clergy more immoral than even the 
Pope of the century before. Under Urban IL, Peter the Her- 
mit went through Europe preaching against the outrages in- 
flicted upon the pilgrims, and the crusades against the Turks 
were undertaken, while it filled Europe with excitement, to re- 
cover the holy city out of the hands of the infidels. Indul- 
gences were now offered by the Pope to all who would join 

the crusade. 

Century XII. 

Paschal, who stands at the head of this list and century, con- 
tinued the war with the emperor by acting as another Ahitho- 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS EXPOSED . 141 

phel in stirring up the son to revolt against the aged father. 
The rebelhon was successful, and the aged monarch went down 
to the grave with a broken heart, while his son, as Henry V,, 
when seated on the throne, renewed the conflict with the Popes 
in which Paschal fled and was dishonored for his perfidy. At 
the death of Honorius two Popes were elected by rival fac- 
tions, Innocent 11. and Anacletus II., who continued in the 
warfare for their respective rights eight years, when the lat- 
ter died, leaving the former in possession of the pontificate. 
During this century St. Bernard, Abelard, and Arnold of Bres- 
cit, made quite a sensation by the boldness of their views in 
teaching. A second crusade was undertaken with perhaps 
more disastrous results than the first. 

In A. D. 1 1 54 Nicholas Breakspeare, the first and last Eng- 
lishman, who reached the papal throne, under the name of 
Adrian IV., attempted to follow in the steps of Hildebrand, 
and compel the emperor, Frederick Barossa, to hold his stir- 
rups while he mounted his horse. It was he who authorized 
Henry II. of England, to conquer Ireland and reduce the last 
of the ancient Churches to the See of Rome. Of course, if 
the act was infallible, it is rebellion for Irish Catholics to revolt 
against the English throne and the English Pope. On the 
death of Adrian two Popes were elected, Alexander III. and 
Victor III. The former reigned most of his time in France, 
until the latter gave way. Alexander was the Pope that re- 
newed the conflict with the Emperor Barbarossa, and ceased 
not until he laid his foot on the neck of the emperor, saying to 
him: ''Thou shalt tread upon the adder and lion." He it was 
who compelled the kings of England and France to hold his 
bridle, as vassals of the papal government, while he rode 
through the streets of Rome. 

Century XIII. 

The Pope at the head of this list and century. Innocent III., 
was a worthy successor of Hildebrand in ambition and cruelty. 
It was he who founded the Inquisition and started the fifth 
crusade against the Waldenses. In this time two priests, 
bribed by the Saracens, went through France and raised a chil- 




o 

p^ 

a 

m 

0) 

ft 
O 

-P 
O 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS BXPOSED. 143 

dren's crusade to invade the holy land. About thirty thous- 
and children and young- people were led from France to Italy, 
where they embarked for Palestine, but were taken to Egypt 
and sold into slavery among the Saracens. It was he who put 
the king of France under the interdict and made him leave liis 
lawful wife. It was he that excommunicated King John, of 
England, and turned the English king into a vassal and the 
kingdom into a fief of the pontificate. In his time arose the 
mendicant friars, and the fires oi the Inquisition were kindled 
to burn heretics The strife between the Popes and the em- 
perors of Germany passed on, and successive Popes followed 
Innocent in their crimes and cruelties. Then arose the Guclph 
and Ghibelline factions, deluging Europe with blood, tlie 
Guelph allied to the Pope and the Ghibelline to the emperor. 
Alexander IV., Urban IV., and Martin IV. closed this century 
with a record as bloody tyrants. The emperor died, and his 
two sons, Manfred and Conradin, were slain in the wars the 
Popes had incited. Celestine, a hermit, was called to the 
pontificate, and returned to the solitudes of the cave after a 
reign of five months, tired of the pomp and glitter of the pa- 
pacy. 

Century XIV. 

Boniface, at the head of the Popes of this century,- stands 
fair as a worthy successor of Hildebrand, Through his ambi- 
tion he claimed to be a successor of Caesar, to pull down or 
set up kings as he pleased, and bestow kingdoms on whom he 
would. The Popes had not ceased their conflict with the em- 
perors of Germany until they had the last of them slain on the 
scaffold. The French kings became the antagonists of the 
papacy. Philip the Fair was now king of France, and was ex- 
communicated by the Pope. The king sent an army to arrest 
him. He was taken prisoner, but allowed to return to Rome, 
where he died in frenzy, refusing food and sleep. Allowing no 
one to witness his death-agony, he shut himself up in his room. 
The attendants, bursting into his room, found him dead, with 
the crozier in his hands and the foam on his mouth. From him 
the papacy dates its decline. 

The influence of the French kings began now to sway the 



144 ^tin DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Curia in the election of the Popes. Hence, from Benedict XI. 
to Gregory XL, all the Popes sat in Avignon, in France, instead 
of Rome. For seventy years they were absent from the sup- 
posed seat of St. Peter, and this period, in Romish writers, is 
called the Babylonish Captivity. 

Under Clement V. the Knights Templar were massacred 
and their order disbanded. Shortly after he died in immense 
wealth. As the corpse lay in state the servants rush into the 
apartments searching for treasure, when they accidentally set 
fire to the furniture and palace in their haste to get gold. It 
was with difficulty the palace was saved and the body of the 
Pope preserved. John XXII. exceeded his predecessor in the 
greed of wealth. Benedict XII., who followed, looked Hke a 
paragon of purity compared to his predecessors. Toward the 
end of the century the writings of Petrarch, Dante, Boccaccio, 
and Wicliff and Chaucer, of England, began to have their ef- 
fect in arousing the people against the vices of the papacy, 
and prepared the way for the Reformation. 

Century XV. 

At the death of Gregory XIL, of the last century, there be- 
gan a strife among the cardinals for national representatives 
in the papacy. As several of them were French, they chose 
Clement VIL, while the Italians chose Urban VI. Urban was 
proud and tyrannical, and had several of his own cardinals put 
to death. He also fulminated excommunication against Clem- 
ent, in Avignon, while Clement anathematized Urban. France, 
Savoy, Naples espoused the cause of Clement, the rest of Eu- 
rope that of Urban. From Benedict XIII. to John XXIII. , 
the conflict continued for more than fifty years between the 
rival Popes, cursing each other as earnestly as ever their suc- 
cessors cursed heretics since. In 1409 a general council was 
called at Pisa. The council deposed the two Popes, Gregory 
and Benedict, and elected a third Pope under the name of 
Alexander V. Gregory retired to Germany, Benedict to Spain 
and Alexander to Rome, each issuing bulls against the other. 
Alexander was poisoned by a cardinal who proved his next suc- 
cessor as John XXIII. , who became a worthy successor of 



HIS SBC RUT WORKS EXPOSED. 



145 



John XII. in licentiousness and vice. Another council was 
called by the emperor Sigismund, to meet in Constance A. D. 
1414, to settle the difficulty of the Pope's succession. The 
council deposed the three Popes and elected a fourth under the 
name of Martin V., and thus ended the schism of the Popes, 
which lasted fifty years. As for a line of unbroken succession, 
it was lost long before. Having settled the schism of the 
Popes, the council next summoned Huss before it to answer 
for his doctrines. Huss refused to come unless the emperor, 
Sigismund, would give him a safe passage there and back. 
The emperor promised, and Huss appeared to defend his doc- 
trines and charge the clergy with vice and false doctrine. They 
drowned his voice in uproar, for it is said that, as many prosti- 
tutes followed the council to Constance as were members of 
it, and that the morals of the city were polluted by it for years 
after. As well might Huss stand before this council as Ste- 
phen before the Sanhedrim. They condemned him unheard. 
The martyr was stripped of his vestments and crowned with a 
paper cap, on which were painted devils and the inscription. 
Arch-heretic. He replied, ''his Master wore a crown of 
thorns." On the 6th of July, 141 5, he Avas chained to the 
stake; it was his forty-second birthday. As they kindled the 
flames around him he said: "They know not what they do." 
Jerome, his friend and disciple, followed shortly after, and went 
to receive the martyr crown. The new Pope and council pur- 
sued the followers of Huss with fire and sword. They rose 
in defense of their lives, and in repeated battles the armies of 
the perjured emperor and persecuting Pope were defeated. 
Almost a century passed before the Hussites were subdued. 
Eugenius IV. and Nicholas V. followed Martin. During the 
pontificate of Nicholas, Constantinople was taken by the 
Turks. The successor of Nicholas was Alphonso Borgia, un- 
der the name of Calixtus III., a Spaniard, who was the uncle, 
some say the father, of Roderic Borgia, who heads the lists of 
Popes for the sixteenth century. Pius 11. was a man of bril- 
liancy and letters, and Paul II., who followed, was full of greed 
and ambition. Sixtus IV. stopped at no crime to carry his 
purposes. It was he who planned the assassination of the 



I46 THB DUVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Medici at Florence. For two years he had all Northern Italy 
in war, and died regretting he had to leave it in peace. Inno- 
cent VIII. closes this century's list of the Popes. He was a 
man so thoroughly debauched in life that he waded in filth and 
infamy. One of his natural sons was married to a daughter 
of the Medici, and a son of Lorenzo de Medici entered the car- 
dinalate as a boy of thirteen. Innocent, in the midst of his 
debaucheries, attempted the extirpation of the Waldenses by 
sending against them the armies of France. The inhabitants 
of the valleys fled to the mountains and caves. Three thous- 
and persons, among whom were four hundred infants in their 
mothers' arms, perished by suffocation. Others were dashed 
from the tops of the rocks. 

Century XVI. 

In 1492 Roderick Borgia, the supposed son of Pope Calix- 
tus III., ascended the papal throne as Alexander VI. of world- 
wide fame for all manner of vices and crimes, so great as almost 
to surpass human conception. ''If murder, incest, adultery, re- 
lentless cruelty," says the historian, ''never met before in a sin- 
gle individual, in the life of this Pope they all find a place, and 
that with frequent repetition. In his character we find at 
last the extreme limit of papal depravity, and in his history we 
seem to fathom the lowest abyss of human baseness." Besides 
his private vices his public crimes were great. To satisfy his 
greed of ambition he increased the sale of indulgences. To 
bestow wealth on his illegitimate children he caused several of 
the Roman nobility to be slain, in some instances whole fami- 
lies exterminated, that the estates might go to his children 
when he should die in the papacy. To suppress the reform 
movement under Savonarola he had the monk burned to death 
in the streets of Florence and his ashes cast into the Arno. 
He had a large number of illegitimate children, but Lucrezia 
and Cezar Borgia appeared to inherit more of the father's 
vices. Cezar was his favorite son, whom he raised to the car- 
dinalate. Cezar murdered his own brother and had his body 
thrown into the Tiber. Two of Lucrezia's husbands he had 
assassinated, one of them in his sister's presence. His own 



HIS SHCRHT WORKS UXPOSBD. 147 

cardinalship he gave up in order to marry, and several cardin- 
als he poisoned in order to get their riches. The same course 
he adopted with several of the Roman nobility, whom he had 
to put out of the wa}^ in order to possess their estates. He 
was a handsome man, of slender form, but a fiend incarnate. 
He and his father had arranged to invite the cardinals to a 
banquet to poison some of them and possess their estates. 

A bottle of poisoned wine was laid aside for this purpose. 
Through mistake it was given the father and son first by one 
of the servants. That night Alexander VI. died, and Cezar 
Borgia, the son, barely recovered. Julius H., the warrior 
Pope, ascended the throne and took back from Cezar much of 
his ill-gotten wealth. Lucrezia died in misery, and Cezar, her 
brother, died of his vices and debaucheries shortly after. Ju- 
lius was a man of fine taste as well as a warrior. He gathered 
around him Bramante, Raphael, Michael Angelo, and laid the 
foundation of St. Peter's in Rome, which his successor, Leo X., 
carried forward. Leo was a Medici, brought up in his child- 
hood amid paintings and statuary in the palaces and gardens 
of Florence. The family were the great patrons of these arts. 
To these Leo added a fondness for literature and music. He 
lavished out wealth on the arts and the building of the most 
costly temple of religion — St. Peter's. His life was one of ease, 
pleasure, and skepticism. It was impossible for the Church 
to reform through its head and hierarchy. Reformation must 
come from above and without. Leo soon ran out of funds in 
building St. Peter's. Indulgences were issued and sold by 
thousands. Agents who had a per cent, on the sales through- 
out Christendom used all kinds of arguments and motives to 
induce the people to buy. The effect was a greater increase of 
immorality. Luther, an Augustine monk, attacked the indul- 
gences and the vices of the Church. Leo issued a bull of ex- 
communication against him. Luther defied the Pope, called 
him an Antichrist, Rome Babylon, and burned his bull. 

Leo summoned the monk to appear before him at Rome. 
Luther refused, and was hid in the castle of Wartburg, where 
he translated the Bible into the natural tongue and set the na- 
tion to reading the Word of the Lord. The Reformation be- 



148 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

gan, nations and churches came out from Rome, and Leo pass- 
ed on to eternity leaving the Church rent in twain. Adrian 
VL, a Dutchman, was his successor. The contrast was great 
between Leo and Adrian in appearance, taste and manner of 
hfe. Adrian was simple, severe, and had no taste for the fine 
arts. Adrian fulminated his bulls against Luther and the Re- 
formation. The reformers went on with their work, and thou- 
sands rallied to their pulpits. Whole nations and provinces 
went like a wave on the river of life. All Europe was excited. 
From Adrian to Innocent IX. the Popes took an active part to 
crush the Reformation. They commenced ''the thirty years' 
war," and ceased not until Protestantism stood forth indepen- 
dent and established. Under the pontificate of Clement VII. 
England renounced the Pope's supremacy and separated from 
Rome. Paul III., his successor, re-established the Inquisition, 
and sent the Jesuits on their mission. To secure the friend- 
ship of the two mightiest potentates of Europe, Charles V. and 
Francis I., he engaged to give his grandson in marriage to the 
daughter of the emperor, and his granddaughter to the rela- 
tive of the king of France. His own illegitimate son, Pierre 
Luigi, received the government of Novara, and became as dis- 
tinguished in cruelty as his father, the pontiff, was in vice. 

The Farnese palace still stands as a monument of Paul III. 
and his illegitimate offspring, the Farnese family. Julius III. 
followed Paul III., and was Hke Leo X. in his tastes and habits. 
Marcellus II. was an austere and reforming Pope, but only lived 
twenty-two days after his election. The cruel and proud Car- 
dinal Caraffe ascended the papal throne as Paul IV. The first 
few years of his life were spent in political intrigues, and bloody 
wars between the emperor and the king of France. Failing in 
these he turned his attention to crushing the Reformation by 
the tortures of the Inquisition. He died in misery after see- 
ing whole nations, as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, become 
Protestant. Pius IV. followed Paul IV. in the pontificate. 
He was a contrast to his predecessor, and lived a voluptuous 
life. He brought the sittings of the Council of Trent to a 
close, and immortalized his name in a creed that presented 
the Church before the world as the mother and mistress of all 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 149 

churches, and the incarnation of the ancient paganism. He 
died in the midst of his pleasures, and was followed by Pius V., 
who, before his election to the papacy, was inquisitor general. 
And now, in the chair of antichrist, he proceeds to carry out 
his diabolical persecutions for the extirpation of heretics. Pius 
V. re-established the Inquisition in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and 
wherever he could. Thousands perished in autos-da-fe mas- 
sacre which he had planned. He excommunicated Queen 
Elizabeth and cursed her nation. Gregory XIII. followed 
Pius V. He was a man of easy manners and Hcentious habits, 
wishing to advance his illegitimate son to opulence. The Jes- 
uits, who were in power, resisted. Led by his society, he soon 
became a 'noted persecutor. The massacre of St. Bartholo- 
mew was planned, and on, the 24th of August executed. Sev- 
enty thousand French Protestants perished. And while the 
wails of widow and orphan went up to heaven from France, 
Gregory was celebrating festivities and Te Deums in Rome to 
commemorate the event. This antichrist, sitting in the tem- 
ple of God, had a metal struck with his own image on one side, 
and a slaughtering angel on the other. The latter part of 
Gregory's life was spent in turmoil and blood. Sixtus V. fol- 
lowed, a bold genius and a daring administrator. He punish- 
ed crime, persecuted heretics, and patronized the arts and sci- 
ences, blessed the Spanish Armada, and lived to see it destroy- 
ed by God and English sailors. He attempted to drain the 
Pontine marshes round Rome, but failed to cleanse the moral 
malaria and filth of the Church. He revived the age of super- 
stition by the revival of miracles and pilgrimages, and, to 
some extent, united the broken and dislocated papacy. The 
last three Popes of this century, Urban VII.., Gregory XIV., 
and Innocent IX., lived but a short time, and were unable to 
carry out the plans of the conclave. 

Century XVII. 

Clement VIII. ascended the papal throne in 1572. One of 
the most disgraceful acts of his life was his cruelty to the fam- 
ily of Cenci. The Pope that seized on Ferara saw the ad- 
vantage of seizing on the large estates of the Cenci, by the 
10 



I50 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

extermination of the family. This is the secret of the romance 
of the beautiful Beatrice de Cenci. 

Count Francesco Cenci, in 1585, was the head of the family, 
a man of fine form, but of passions ungovernable, and a heart 
depraved, the very incarnation of evil. He looked like a sec- 
ond edition of Cezar Borgia, as he hesitated at no crime that 
stood in his way. His first wife was the Princess Santa Croce, 
whom he poisoned to make way to marry the beautiful Lu- 
crezia. Having married him she soon found him the basest of 
men and the greatest of tyrants. He had four sons and two 
daughters, the youngest of whom was Beatrice, the most beau- 
tiful girl in Rome at the time. The cruelties of the father to 
the children led the family, including the stepmother, to peti- 
tion the Pope for a mitigation of their sufferings. The Pope 
refused, but commanded them to obey their father. This led 
the count to treat his children with still greater cruelty. His 
daughter Marguerite was given by the Pope in marriage to 
Signor Gabreilli. Christoforo and Racco, two of his sons, 
were assassinated, it is supposed, at the father's instigation. 
Ivucrezia, believing that the man whom she espoused as a hus- 
band had a criminal design on the beautiful Beatrice, to save 
the daughter she sent a petition to the Pope to give her in 
marriage to Guerra, a young nobleman who was deeply at- 
tached to Beatrice. The father detected the petition on the 
way, and moved his entire family to a castle fortress in the 
solitudes of the Apennines- Here the fiendish father increas- 
ed that cruel treatment to his family uninterrupted. The 
beautiful Beatrice he immured and tortured in the dungeon 
where her shrieks of terror were heard by the family and ser- 
vants who could give no relief. Wearied with the cruelty 
of the father the eldest son and stepmother conceived the idea 
of killing him. Bernardo and Beatrice, the two youngest 
children, did not consent, but were aware of the plot. Olypio, 
an assassin, and Marzio, a soldier, were hired to do the deed. 
The count had some time before failed to seduce but murdered 
a beautiful girl, the betrothed of Marzio. The last vowed to 
be avenged of the count — the time had come. The count was 
murdered one night in his sleep by Olypio and Marzio, and 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 151 

the family was seized as suspected accomplices. They were 
put to the torture by repeated applications of the wheel, the 
pulley and the rack of the Inquisition. Unable to stand the 
torture Giacomo, Bernardo, and Lucrezia confessed, but no 
torture could induce Beatrice to confess. The judge gave up 
her case to the Pope. Clement believing that the extreme 
beauty of the sufferer had excited the pity of the judge, gave 
her into the hands of another, the cruel Luciani, who boasted 
that he could make her confess. A variety of tortures were 
applied, which only produced shrieks of the sufferer amid the 
vaults of the dungeon, to be followed by swoons, out of which 
she was brought by cordials, only to be again tortured as the 
sinking sensitive nature of the sufferer could bear ; but all was 
of no use. The torture capillorum was applied, by which the 
long and beautiful tresses of her hair were twisted into a cord 
and attached to a rope let down from the ceiling, the whole 
weight of the body was relifted, and the beautiful form swung 
to and fro in agony; but there was no confession. In the 
meantime hard cords were twisted around the fingers as if to 
dislocate the joints. The taxilla was next applied; her feet 
were bared and placed on heated blocks of wood. After this 
scorching process was applied the girl exclaimed, "Oh, cease 
this martyrdom, and I will confess anything." A new plan 
was adopted to get the girl to confess ; it was represented that 
if she confessed, the whole family, with herself, would be spar- 
ed. The last torture was applied in their presence, and they 
begged her to confess for their sake. "Be it as you wish, I am 
content to die if it will save you." The judge hastened to the 
Pope to tell him of Beatrice's confession. This was what he 
wanted in order to possess their estates ; he ordered the whole 
family to be executed. As the prisoners were moving to the 
place of execution they passed by the Cenci palace; the wife 
and children of Giacomo came down the marble steps to the 
prisoners. "My children ! my children !" exclaimed Giacomo. 
He fiew to embrace them — which the guards would not allow 
him. "Dogs," cried the people, "give him his children." His 
wife fainted on the palace steps, and Giacomo took a last fare- 
well of his family. The young Count Guerra, Beatrice's lover, 



152 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

now dashed into the crowd followed by a band of soldiers, with 
flashing sabers, rescued Beatrice, placed her in a carriage, and 
was driving off, when overpowered, and she was taken back 
for execution. A pardon came for Bernardo, the boy brother, 
who was also doomed with the rest. He was compelled to as- 
cend the scaffold to witness the execution of the family. Lu- 
crezia laid her head upon the block and it was severed from the 
body. Giacomo stood up and confessed to the people that his 
young brother and sister were innocent. Beatrice was yet at 
prayer. Seeing the standard move she asked, **Is my mother 
dead?" She was answered in the affirmative. Then she said, 
'Xet us go; Lord,^ thou hast called me, I obey the summons 
willingly." Approaching her brother, she said, ''Grieve not for 
me, we shall be happy in heaven." She then kissed Bernardo, 
ascended the steps, and laid her head on the block. All was 
as the silence of death, the vast concourse was in tears, the arm 
and ax of the executioner were uplifted, he paused as if over- 
awed, another moment the ax fell, and the executioner Hfted 
the beautiful head and face to the gaze of the people ; the body 
quivered, the spirit had fled. Near the statue of *St. Paul were 
placed three biers with four lighted torches for each; the 
bodies were strewn with flowers and watered with the tears 
of thousands who came to look at the beautiful face and form 
of Beatrice. While in prison Guido Reni painted her likeness 
to preserve for posterity; her golden hair, blue eyes, pensive 
sorrow, but almost angelic features, give the form and face a 
likeness not to be forgotten. Like another Ahab, Clement 
prepared to take possession of the vineyards and estates of the 
Cenci, part of which only were left with the palace, which still 
stands to the descendant of the Cenci. 

We return to the history of the Popes. Leo XL, a Medici, 
followed by Clement VIII. , but only lived twenty-six days after 
his election. Paul V. followed as a prudent, able, and efficient 
Pope. In his day the Jansenists arose and seemed to breathe 
some evangelical life into the Church in France. Under the 
pontificate of Gregory XV. a large part of Hungary, Bohemia, 
and Moravia were recovered to Rome by fire and sword. Ur- 
ban VIII. succeeded Gregory. He was a stern man, not easy 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSBD. 153 

to be turned from his own opinions. Jealous of the emperor's 
encroaches on Italy, he set the French and the Protestants 
against him, joined the league which commenced the thirty 
years' war in Europe, resulting in the more complete estab- 
lishment of Protestantism. It was under Urban that the 
Church attacked the doctrine of Galileo, and by this infallible 
Pope was the astronomer condemned to the Inquisition. In- 
nocent X. followed, adopting the custom of his predecessor. 
Cardinal Chigi followed as Alexander VIL, a man of integrity 
and morality. To him succeeded Cardinal RospigUosi as Clem- 
ent IX., who, although he shut out his relatives from ofBce, 
enriched them with the wealth of the Church. The Rospigli- 
osi palace stands as a monument of the greatness of the fam- 
ily. At this time the wealthy houses estabHshed in Rome by 
successive pontiffs became the ruling aristocracy of the papal 
states. From henceforth the cardinals. Popes, and govern- 
ment of the papacy come through them chiefly ; and the wealth 
flowing from the Church throughout the world to the papacy 
finds its outlet through this channel. Clement IX. was suc- 
ceeded by Clement X., who lived only a few months. Bene- 
detto Odescalchi entered Rome as a warrior with sword and 
pistol in his hand, but was prevailed on by one of the cardinals 
to devote himself to the Church; he accepted the advice, and 
soon rose from priest to cardinal, and, on the death of Clement, 
was elected Pope as Innocent XL He was one of the most 
peculiar Popes that ever ascended the throne. With zeal he 
entered all his duties, endeavoring to reform the abuses of the 
Church. Through his influence the persecutions of the Jan- 
senists ceased. It was even said that Innocent secretly aided 
William of Orange in his invasion of England, on account of 
his animosity to Louis XIV., whose vice and pride he could 
not bear. 

Alexander VIII. was the minister of Innocent, whom he fol- 
lowed on the papal throne, and in his opposition to Louis XIV. 
He was about eighty when elected, lived but a short time ; yet 
his character was affable, easy and kind. Innocent XII. fol- 
lowed Alexander in his opposition to Louis, and strenuously 
endeavored to reform the abuses of the papacy in Rome. He 



154 ' THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

died in A. D. 1700, exhibiting, on the whole, an upright char- 
acter. 

Century XVIII. 

Contrary to the usual course of the last two Popes, Clement 
XI. sided with Louis XIV. and the Jesuits in his persecutions 
of the Jansenists and the political movements of the French 
kingdom, and shared in his humiliation and disgrace by the 
allied armies under Marlborough. Innocent XIII. followed 
Clement; his pontificate was not marked by any distinguished 
event. He gave place to Benedict XIII. Benedict was large- 
hearted and liberal, frugal and industrious. He once entertain- 
ed the thought of uniting all Christendom, Catholic, Greek, 
and Protestant, in one communion ; but the spirit and times 
were not favorable. He died in 1730. Clement XII. reigned 
during the next decade. His pontificate was marked by the 
introduction of state lotteries and low finances. Benedict 
XIV., who followed, was a scholar judicious and wise in his ad- 
ministration, steering through the difficulties that beset it with 
wisdom and prudence. In his reign the Jesuits were threat- 
ened in Portugal, and the Jansenists arose to power. Clement 

XIII. w^as a Venetian by birth and an ascetic in religion. His 
spirit and manner belonged to the twelfth instead of the eigh- 
teenth century. He endeavored to restore the papacy to its 
former greatness, but sank it lower than he found it. Clement 

XIV. ;was a man of prudence, piety, and virtue. Scarcely was 
he seated on the throne when the governments of France, 
Spain, and Portugal demanded the suppression of the Jesuits 
by a bull of the Pope. He at last issued it, and shortly after 
died — supposed to have been poisoned by the Jesuits. The 
conclave were not satisfied with the pontificate of the last Pope, 
and chose Pius VI. to carry out their plans. Pius VI. was a 
fine-looking man, and at once set about the improvement of 
Rome and the ascendancy of the Church. He was pleasant, 
cheerful, Hke Leo X., fond of magnificence, art, and splendor. 
Sad events and humiliations awaited him. The French Revo- 
lution burst forth with fearful fury, and swept before it the 
monarchy, Church, and aristocracy. French arms invaded 
Italy, the Pope appealed to Austria; Austria was defeated by 



HIS SECRET WORKS' EXPOSED. 155 

French arms and the Pope was taken prisoner, and Rome was 
entered by the French. A Roman repubHc was estabhshed, 
and the Pope dethroned, was brought as a prisoner to Florence, 
thence to Briancon, at last to Valence, where he died, in the 
eighty-second year of his age. The papacy was under an 
eclipse, all Europe was convulsed, and the eighteenth century 
closed over the horrors of the French Revolution! 

Century XIX. 

The clouds that gathered round ^he setting sun of the last 
century grew darker with the opening of the new. Pius VIL, 
the new Pope, was destined to greater humiliation than his 
predecessor. In fact, the throne of the papacy was rocking 
when Pius VII. ascended it. Soon after he was summoned 
by Napoleon to crown him in Paris as emperor. The aged 
Pope was forced to comply, and in the service of the coronation 
he was used as an appendage to the pageant instead of a sov- 
ereign pontiff to bestow authority. Eight years later the Pope 
was dragged as a prisoner to France, and Rome was made 
a part of the empire, in the reverses that followed Napoleon, 
Protestant powers restored the Pope to his throne, and he re- 
stored the Jesuits to the power in the Church and in Christen- 
dom, which prepared the way for a reaction against the papacy 
and the utter destruction of its sovereignty forever! The 
Italians wished for a more liberal government; Pius thought 
it too liberal already, and soon commenced his political perse- 
cutions which embittered the people in 1823. He died; Leo 
XII. succeeded as a man of fine presence and polished man- 
ners, but, it is said, licentious character. He commenced his 
administration by persecuting the Jews and confining them to 
the Ghetto ; he moved the machinery of the government against 
all liberal leaders, and set the Jesuits and Inquisition to work 
on political offenders. The prisons of Rome were crowded, 
and the dungeons echoed with the groans of the sufferers. He 
published bulls against Bible societies, and ruled with a despot's 
rod until 1829, when he died and was succeeded by Pius VIII., 
who was Pope less than two years, followed by Gregory XVI. 
in 183 1. Gregory followed the steps of Leo XII. in cruelty 



156 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

and oppression. He exceeded him in licentiousness, making 
his barber a noble, and the barber's wife, it is said, his mis- 
tress. A large party now was rising, who wished to make Italy- 
one united kingdom with a more liberal government. The 
people rose in their might, and would have accomplished it, 
but the Pope appealed to Austria, and the emperor poured in 
troops to crush the revolt. Gregory followed the suppression 
of the revolt by casting all that were suspected into prison; 
confiscations and executions followed until Rome groaned un- 
der the pontifical government, which was now exclusively in 
the hands of priests. In the midst of these revolts .Gregory 
died in 1846, and Cardinal Mastai Ferretti was elected Pope 
as 

PIUS IX. 

Pius IX. ascended the papal throne in 1846 with high expec- 
tations by the people and flattering promises of reform by him- 
self. He published an act of amnesty for political offenders, 
but the reforms promised he was slow to fulfil. In 1848, a 
revoluti6n arose in France, which hurled Louis Philippe from 
his throne, and shook the thrones of Europe, All Italy was 
agitated ; for awhile the Pope supposed there would be a con- 
federation of Italian states, of which he would be the pontifical 
sovereign. Charles Albert, the liberal king of Sardinia, raised 
the standard of a liberal government, thousands flocked to it, 
but soon the Austrian army swept down on Italy, over through 
the Sardinians, but could not crush the spirit of liberty. Dis- 
satisfied with the results, the^Italian people demanded of the 
Pope a more liberal government. He refused; his minister 
was assassinated. The ministry scattered, the Pope fled, and 
Rome was proclaimed a republic, Louis Napoleon, who was 
the chosen President of the French republic, overthrew it and 
changed its form to the empire, a French army invaded Italy 
and took Rome. The republic went down and the Pope came 
back to ascend once more the papal throne, guarded from its 
own people by French bayonets. It was a foreign and a priest- 
ly despotism. Charles Albert died and Victor Emmanuel, his 
son, became king of Sardinia, ^ with a liberal governm^ent that 
contrasted with that of the Pope. The confessional became 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 157 

a political engine, where priest extorted from the women the 
poHtical crimes of their husbands and fathers — a spy was in 
every family, a man's foes were those of his own household. 
At midnight men were arrested in their beds and dragged be- 
fore the Inquisition, the dungeons of which echoed with the 
groans of the sufferers. The prisons were full of Rome's sons ; 
upon the scaffold their blood was shed. The whole city and 
states of the Church groaned under the oppression. Such 
was this sacerdotal government where priests ruled and lay- 
men had no voice. The Neapolitan government, with those 
of Parma, Lucca, and Modena, vied with that of the Pope in 
cruelty. Austria in Italy exceeded these. The jealousies of 
Francis Joseph and Louis Napoleon led to an Italian war. The 
battles of Magenta and Solferino broke the yoke of Austria in 
Italy. The Austro-Prussian war cut off the empire from the 
Church, and threw the Pope into the arms of the French for 
defense. The Jesuits were called in to aid the Pope, and soon 
began to shape the government on the Ultramontane plan. 
The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed by 
the Pope, who began to play with the infallibility. A bull of 
the Pope re-estabHshed the Catholic Hierarchy in England, 
contrary to the laws of the realm, and priests became active pol- 
iticians in Ireland, Canada, and Europe, fomenting revolt 
against Protestant governments and public schools. Yet the 
power of the papacy was wanting; Italian Catholics were restive 
under the pontifical and the Neapolitan governments, which 
became a tyranny that neither they nor their fathers were able 
to bear. While the Sardinian king kept faith with his people, 
the former governments betrayed their promises, and repud- 
iated their vows. All Italy was ripe for revolt. Garibaldi went 
down to Naples, and around him gathered all Sicily. The 
Bourbon king fled and Lucca, Parma, Modena, and Sicily join- 
ed the Sardinian king, who became king of Italy, with Cavour 
and Garibaldi as distinguished minister and soldier, in the 
government and army. The pontifical states were only left 
with Rome to the Pope, guarded by French soldiers. The 
Jesuits persuaded the Pope he was infallible. He also called 
a council to declare it. On the i8th of July, 1870, the dogma 



I5S THn DFJ'IL IX Tlin CUVRCH: 

was proclaimed. With it there went otit the proelainatioii of 
war ag-ainst Froteslant Prussia by France and the jesnits. On 
the jd of September the French were defeated at Sethm, and 
Napoleon made prisoner. French troops left Rotne never to 
return, and the troops of Victor Fnmianuel marched in to take 
last possession. All Rome and Italy proclaimed \'ictor 'Em- 
manuel as king- of Rome and Italy, and the European govern- 
ments acknowledged the fact and recognized the king. 

In one day went down forever the oldest and most despotic 
government in the world and Pius IX., the lirst of infallible 
Popes, became the last of sovereign pontitYs ! The year of 
1878 opened with remarkable events. The fall of Turkey was 
scarcely announced, when \''ictor Ennnanuel after a few days' 
sickness died in Rome on the gth of January. All Italy mourn- 
ed at his tomb : he was buried in the Pantheon. C^n his death- 
bed the Pope sent him his benediction. His son Hinnbert was 
proclaimed king, and announced that he wotild follow his fa- 
ther's policy. On the 7th of February the Pope breathed his 
last, in the eighty-sixth year of his age and thirty-third year 
of his pontiiicate. He was a man of pure morals, noble im- 
pulses, and kintl heart, nothwithstanding his foolish pride in in- 
fallibility. He had fallen on evil times into the hands of the 
Jesuits, and was severely tried by the political calamities that 
fell upon his throne and kingdom. 

LEO XIII. 

A short time before the late Pope's death Cardinal Pecci 
was appointed. Camerlengo, which otYice controls the papacy 
between the death of one Pope and the election of the other. 
On the 20th of February he was elected Pope as Leo XIII., 
and crowned in the Sistine Chapel on the morning of March 
3d. The services were rather private, as some disturbance 
was threatened by the populace, and the dislike of the Ulti"a- 
montanes. Some of the Pope's Swiss guards have since re- 
volted, and many of thetn have been dismissed. Cardinal Go- 
achim Pecci was born of a noble family, on the 2d of March, 
18 10, at Carpeneto, Italy, and early gave promise of high qual- 
ifications for the ministrv of the Church. Pie was sent as a 




Pope Leo Xlll. 



i6o THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

delegate by Gregory XVI. to put down brigandage in Spoleto 
and Perugia. Having accomplished this mission, he was made 
Archbishop^ of Perugia, and sent as nuncio to the king of the 
Belgians, where he became a great favorite. On returning to 
Rome it was expected he would have been made cardinal, but 
AntonelH, his rival, stood in his way. Although he received 
the honor some years later, yet he was kept away from the 
councils of the Vatican, until his rival died, when he was made 
Gamerlengo, which paved the way for his election. The name 
of Leo which he had chosen indicates his policy is more of the 
lion than the lamb, although it is said he is a man of sincere 
piety and liberal views, and opposed to the Ultramontanes, 
and wishes to bring his government more in harmony with the 
Italian and European governments. It is said that in all his 
addresses he has as yet made no reference to his predecessor, 
and does not believe in mariolatry as Pius IX. did. 



IV. 
HORRORS OF THE INQUISITION 



THE INQUISITORS AND THEIR PRACTICES. 

In the time of King Ferdinand the Fifth, and Queen Isa- 
bella, the mixture of Jews, Moors, and Christians was so great, 
the relapses of the new converts so frequent, and the corrup- 
tions in matters of religion so barefaced in all sorts and con- 
ditions of people, that the cardinal of Spain thought the in- 
troduction of the inquisition could be the only way of stopping 
the course of wickedness and vice; so as the sole remedy to 
cure the irreligious practices of those times, the inquisition 
was established in the year 147 1, in the court, and many other 
dominions of Spain. 

The cardinal's design in giving birth to this tribunal, was 
only to suppress heresies, and chastise many horrible crimes 
committed against religion, viz. : Blasphemy, sodomy, polyg- 
amy, sorcery, sacrilege, and many others, which are also pun- 
ished in these kingdoms by the prerogative court, but not by 
making use of so barbarous means as the inquisition does. 
The design of the cardinal was not blamable, being in itself 
good, and approved by all the serious and devout people of 
that time, but the performance of it was not so, as will appear 
by and by. 

The inquisitors have a despotic power to command every 
living soul ; and no excuse is to be given, nor contradiction to 
be made, to their orders ; nay, the people have not liberty to 
speak nor complain in their misfortunes, and therefore there 
is a proverb which says "Con la inquisition chiton" — ''Do not 
meddle with the inquisition ;" or, ''as to the inquisition say 
nothing." This will be better understood by the following ac- 
count of the method they make use of for the taking up and 
arresting the people, which is thus : 



1 62 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

When the inquisitors receive information against anybody, 
which is always in private, and with such secrecy that none 
can know who the informer is (for ah the informations are 
given in the night), they send their officers to the house of the 
accused, most commonly at midnight, and in a coach, — they 
knock at the door (and then all the family are in bed) and when 
somebody asks from the window who is there, the officers say 
the holy inquisition. At this word, he that answered, with- 
out any delay, or noise, or even the liberty of giving timely no- 
tice to the master of the house, comes down to open the door. 
I say, without liberty of giving timely notice, for when the in- 
quisitors send the officers they are sure, by the spies, that the 
person is within, and if they do not find the accused, they take 
up the whole family, and carry jthem to the inquisition ; so the 
answerer is with good reason afraid of making any delay in 
opening the street door. Then they go upstairs and arrest the 
accused without telling a word, or hearing a word from any of 
the family; and with great silence putting him into the coach, 
they drive to the holy prison. 

If the neighbors by chance hear the noise of the coach, 
they dare not go to the window, for it is well known that no 
other coach but that of the inquisition is abroad at that time 
of the night; nay, they are so much afraid, that they dare not 
even ask the next morning their neighbors anything about it, 
for those that talk of anything that the inquisition does, are 
liable to undergo the same punishment, and this may be the 
night following. So if the accused be the daughter, son, or 
father, '&c., and some friends or relations go in the morning 
to see the family, and ask the occasion of their tears and grief, 
they answer that their daughter was stolen away the night be- 
fore, or the son, or the father or mother (whoever the prisoner 
be), did not come home the night before, and that they sus- 
pect he was murdered, &c. This answer they give, because 
they cannot tell the truth without exposing themselves to the 
same misfortune ; and not only this, but they cannot go to the 
inquisition to inquire for the prisoner, for they would be con- 
fined for that alone. So all the comfort the family can have 
in such a case, is to imagine that the prisoner is in China, or 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 163 

in the remotest part of the world, or in hell. This is the rea- 
son why nobody knows the persons that are in the inquisition 
till the sentence is published and executed, except those priests 
and friars summoned to hear the trial. 

If the trial is to be made publicly, in the hall of the holy of- 
fice, the inquisitors summon two priests out of every parish 
church, and two regular priests out of every convent, all the 
qualificators and familiares that are in the city ; the sheriff, and 
all the under officers; the secretary, and three inquisitors. All 
the aforesaid meet at the common hall on the day appointed 
for the trial at ten in the morning. The hall is hung in black, 
without any windows, or light, but what comes through the 
door. At the front there is an image of our Saviour on the 
cross, under a black velvet canopy, and six candlesticks with 
six thick yellow wax candles on the altar's table. On one side 
there is a pulpit, with another candle, where the secretary reads 
the crimes; three chairs for the three inquisitors, and round 
about the hall, seats and chairs for the summoned priests, friars, 
familiares, and other officers. 

When the inquisitors are come in, an under officer crieth 
out. Silence, silence, silence, the holy fathers are coming; — 
and from that ver}^ time till all is over, nobody speaks nor spits ; 
and the thought of the place puts everybody under respect, 
fear, and attention. The holy fathers, with their hats on their 
heads, and serious countenances go, and kneeling down before 
the altar, the first inquisitor begins to give out, Veni Creator 
Spiritus, Mentus tuorum visita, &c. And the congregation 
sing the rest, and the collect being said by him also, everybody 
sits down. The secretary then goes up to the pulpit, and the 
holy father rings a small silver bell, which is the signal for 
bringing in the criminal. What is done afterwards will be 
known by the following trial and instances, at which I was 
present, being one of the youngest priests of the cathedral, 
and therefore obliged to go to those dismal tragedies, in 
which, the first thing, after the criminal comes in and kneels 
down before the inquisitors, he receives a severe, bitter correc- 
tion from the inquisitor, who measures it according to the na- 



1 64 I^HB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ture of the crimes committed by the criminal ; of all which, to 
the best of my memory, I will give an account in the first trial. 

THE TRIAL OF A FRIAR OF ST. JEROME, ORGANIST OF THE 

CONVENT IN SARAGOSSA. 

All the summoned persons being together in the hall, the 
prisoner and a young boy were brought out; and after the 
first inquisitor had finished his bitter correction, the secretary 
read the examinations and sentence, as follows: 

Whereas, information were made, and by evidences proved, 
that Fr. Joseph Peralta has committed the crime of sodomy, 
with the present John Romeo, his disciple, which the said Ro- 
meo himself, owned upon interrogatories of the holy inquisi- 
tors; they having an unfeigned regard for the order of St. 
Jerome, do declare and condemn the said Fr. Joseph Peralta 
to a two 3^ears' confinement in his own convent, but that he 
may assist at the divine service, and celebrate mass. Item, 
for an example to other Hke sinners, the holy fathers declare 
that the said John is to be whipped through the pubhc streets 
of the town, and receive at every corner, as it is a custom, five 
lashes; and, that he shall wear a coroza, i. e., a sort of a mitre 
on his head, feathered all over, as a mark of his crime. Which 
sentence is to be executed on Friday next, without any appeal. 

After the secretary had done, Don Pedro Guerrero did ask 
Fr. Joseph whether he had anything to say against the sen- 
tence or not? And he answering no, the prisoners were car- 
ried back to their prisons, and the company were dismissed. 
Observe the equity of the inquisitors in this case : The boy was 
but fourteen years of age, under the power of Fr. Joseph, and 
he was charged with the penalty and punishment Fr. Joseph 
did deserve. The poor boy was whipped according to the 
sentence and died the next day. 

SENTENCE GIVEN AGAINST LAWRENCE CASTRO, GOLDSMITH 

OF SARAGOSSA. 

Lawrence Castro was the most famous and wealthy gold- 
smith in the city, and as he went one day to carry a piece of 
plate to Don Pedro Guerrero, before he paid him, he bade him 
go and see the house with one of his domestic servants, which 




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i66 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

he did, and seeing nothing but doors of iron, and hearing noth- 
ing but lamentations of the people within ; having returned to 
the inquisitor's apartment, Don Pedro asked him, 'Xawrence, 
how do you like this place?" To which Lawrence said, "I do 
not Hke it at ah, for it seems to me the very heU upon earth." 
This innocent, but true answer, was the only occasion of his 
misfortune ; for he was immediately sent into one of the helHsh 
prisons, and at the same time many of^cers went to his house 
to seize upon everything, and that day he appeared at the bar, 
and his sentence was read. He was condemned to be whipped 
through the streets, to be marked on his shoulders with a 
burning iron, and to be sent forever to the galleys; but the 
good, honest, unfortunate man died that very day ; all his crime 
being only to say, that the holy ofhce did seem to him hell on 
earth. 

At the same time a lady of good fortune was whipped be- 
cause she said in company "I do not know whether the Pope 
is a man or woman, and I hear wonderful things of him every 
day, and I imagine he must be an animal very rare." For 
these words she lost honor, fortune and life, for she died six 
days after the execution of her sentence; and thus the holy 
fathers punish trifling things, and leave unpunished horrible 
crimes. 

THE INQUISITION A PURGATOBY ON EARTH. 

The Roman Catholics believe there is a purgatory, and that 
the souls sufTer more pains in it than in hell. But I think the 
inquisition is the only purgatory on earth, and the holy fa- 
thers are the judges and executioners in it. The reader may 
form a dreadful idea of the barbarity of that tribunal, by what 
I have already said, but I am sure it will never come up to what 
it is in reality, for it passeth all understanding, not as the 
peace of God, but as the war of the devil. 

RICH JEWS MADE GOOD VICTIMS. 

Let us except from this rule the rich Jews, for the poor are 
in no fear of being confined there ; they are the rich alone that 
suffer in that place, not for the crime of Judaism (though this 



HIS SBCRUT WORKS EXPOSED. 167 

is the color of the pretense), but the crime of having- riches. 
Francisco Alfaro, a Jew, and a very rich one, was kept in the 
inquisition of Seville four years, and g.fter he had lost all he had 
in the world, was discharged out of it with a small correction; 
this was to encourage him to trade again and get more riches, 
which he did in four years' time. Then he was put again in the 
holy office, with the loss of his goods and money. And after 
three years imprisonment he was discharged, and ordered to 
wear for six months the mark of San-Benito, i. e., a picture 
of a man in the middle of the fire of hell, which he was to wear 
before his breast publicly. But Alfaro a few days later left the 
city of Seville, and seeing a pig without the gate, he hung thb 
San-Benito on the pig's neck, and made his escape. I saw 
this Jew in Lisbon, and he told me the story himself, adding, 
''Now I am a poor Jew, I tell everybody so, and though the in- 
quisition is more severe here than in Spain, nobody takes no- 
tice of me. I am sure they would confine me forever, if I had 
as much riches as I had in Seville." Really, the holy office is 
more cruel and inhuman in Portugal than in Spain, for I never 
saw any publicly burnt in my own country, and I saw in Lis- 
bon seven at once, four young women and three men ; two 
young women were burnt alive and an old man, and the others 
were strangled first. 

THE BURNING OF JOHN HUSS. 

John Huss, of Bohemia, was born in 1373. While a young- 
man he was greatly influenced by reading the writings of John 
Wickliffe, who had translated the Bible into the English lan- 
guage, and in his writings had solemnly denounced the prof- 
ligacy and wickedness of the Romish priests. 

After Huss had been ordained a priest of Rome he dared 
to study the Holy vScriptures, and was so evangelical in his 
preaching and so faithful in rebuking the worldliness and time- 
serving and wickedness of the priests and bishops that he in- 
curred their enmity, and they stirred up a bitter persecution 
against him. This noble and persecuted man felt the best for 
him to retire for awhile to his native village, and while there 
he wrote a letter to his flock, from which we quot^ the follov/' 



1 68 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ing words, which show the noble and true character of the 
man : "Learn beloved," says he, "that if I withdraw from the 
midst of you, it is to follow the precept and example of Jesus 
Christ, in order not to give room to the ill-minded to draw on 
themselves eternal condemnation, and in order not to be to 
the pious a cause of affliction and persecution. I have retired 
also through an apprehension that impious priests might con- 
tinue for a longer time to prohibit the preaching of the word 
of God among you; but I have not quitted you to deny the 
Divine truth, for which, with God's assistance, I am willing to 
die." In another letter in alluding to the example of Christ, 
he says : "He came to the aid of us miserable sinners, support- 
ing hunger, thirst, cold, heat, watching and fatigue. When 
giving us his Divine instructions he suffered weighty sorrows, 
and grave insults from the priests and scribes, to such a point 
that they called him a blasphemer, and declared that he had 
a devil; asserting that he whom they had excommunicated as 
a heretic, and whom they had driven from their city and cruci- 
fied as an accursed one, could not be God. If, then, Christ 
had to support such things — he who cured all kinds of diseases 
by his mere word, without any recompense on earth — who 
drove out devils, raised the dead, and taught God's holy word 
— who did no harm to any one, who committed no sin, and 
who suffered every indignity from the priests, simply because 
he laid open their wickedness, why should we be astonished 
at the present day that the ministers of anti-christ, who are 
far more covetous, far more debauched, more cruel, and more 
cunning than the Pharisees, should persecute the servants of 
God, overwhelm them with indignity, curse, excommunicate, 
imprison, and kill them?" It would be interesting to narrate 
the particulars of the great contest of John Huss with the er- 
rors of the Romish Church, and even with the Pope himself, 
whom he denounced as an antichrist, but, however, reluctantly, 
we must pass over these and simply recite as briefly as possible 
the steps that led this noble man of God to the stake, to burn 
for Jesus, and the truth. When the Council of Constance as- 
sembled, in 1414, John Huss was summoned before it. Huss 
received what was called a safe conduct from the Emperor 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS EXPOSBD, 169 

Sigismund. This document pledged the honor of the Em- 
peror for his safe return. But as "no faith is to be kept with 
heretics," this document was violated by the advice of the 
bishops and cardinals, at the Council, covering with disgrace 
all concerned in this infamous transaction. In one of his last 
letters to his friends Huss writes : "I am departing, my breth- 
ren, with a safe conduct from the King to meet my numerous, 
and mortal enemies. * * * j confide altogether in my all 
powerful God. I trust that he will listen to your ardent pray- 
ers ; that He infuse his prudence and his wisdom into my mind, 
so that I may resist them ; and that he will accord me his Holy 
Spirit to fortify me in his truth so that I may face, with cour- 
age, temptations, prison, and, if necessary, a cruel death." 

In shameful violation of a safe conduct of the emperor, on 
the arrival of Huss he was placed under arrest by order of the 
Pope and cardinals, and committed to a loathsome prison. 
When tidings of this reached Prague, the city became greatly 
excited. A number of protests were at once signed. Several 
barons and powerful noblemen wrote pressing letters to the 
emperor reminding him of the safe conduct which Huss had 
received from Sigismund himself. They said to the emperor, 
"John Huss departed with full confidence in the guarantee 
given him in your majesty's letter. Nevertheless, we under- 
stand he has been seized on, and cast into prison, without hav- 
ing been convicted or heard. Everyone here, barons or 
princes, rich or poor, has been astonished to hear of this event. 
Each man here has asked his neighbor how the Holy Father 
could so shamefully have violated the sanctity of the law, the 
plain rules of justice, and finally, your majesty's safe conduct; 
how, in fact, he could have thrown into prison, without a 
cause, a just and innocent man." 

In violation of every principle of right, and truth, and hon- 
or, and decency, this godly man, and brave and noble re- 
former was sentenced to be burned at the stake. When sen- 
tence had been passed upon him, Huss fell on his knees, and 
said, "Lord Jesus, pardon my enemies ! Thou knowest they 
have falsely accused me, and that they have had recourse to 
false testimony and vile calumnies against me; pardon them 



I70 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

from thine infinite mercy!" Having stripped him, with every 
mark of insult, of his priestly robes, they placed on his head a 
sort of a crown, or mitre, on which were painted frightful fig- 
ures of demons, with the inscription "The Arch-Heretic," and 
when he was thus arrayed the prelates devoted his soul to the 
devil. John Huss, however, recommended his soul to God, 
and said aloud, "I wear with joy this crown of opprobrium, for 
the love of Him who wore a crown of thorns." 

Having obtained permission to say a few words to his keep- 
ers, he thanked them for all the kindness they had shown him. 
''My brethren," said he, "learn that I firmly believe in my Sa- 
viour. It is in his name that I suffer, and this very day I shall 
go and reign with him." The executioners then bound his 
body with thongs, with which he was firmly tied to the stake 
driven deep in the ground. His head was held close to the 
stake by a chain smeared with soot. Before the fire was kin- 
dled, the Elector Palatine, accompanied by Count d'Oppen- 
heim, marshall of the empire, came up to him and again urged 
him to recant. But he, lifting his eyes to heaven, said with a 
loud voice, — "I call God to witness that I have never either 
taught or written what these false witnesses have laid to my 
charge ; my sermons, my books, my writings have all been done 
with the sole view of rescuing souls from the tyranny of sin, 
and therefore, most joyfully will I confirm with my blood the 
truth which I have taught, written and preached ; which is con- 
firmed by the divine laws and the holy fathers." The Elector 
and Marshall then withdrew, and a fire was set to the pile. 
"Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me," cried this 
noble martyr. He prayed, and sung a hymn in the midst of 
the fire, but soon after, the wind having risen, his voice was 
drowned by the roaring of the flames. His head and lips were 
seen moving some time longer as if still in prayer, and then his 
blood-washed spirit went up to be welcomed by the redeemed 
in heaven. "His habits were burned with him," says the his- 
torian, "and the executioners tore in pieces the remains of his 
body and then threw them back into the funeral pile, until the 
fire had absolutely consumed everything; the ashes were then 
collected together and thrown into the Rhine, and as it was 




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172 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

said of Wickliffe, so may it be said of the holy martyr of Bo- 
hemia, that the dispersion of his ashes' in the river and in the 
ocean, is an emblem of the subsequent dissemination of these 
truths, for the sake of which he braved a martyr's sufferings 
and wore a martyr's crown." 

ANOTHER METHOD OF TORTURE. 

Limberch gives an account of Isaac Orobio de Castro, who 
had been denounced as a Jew to the inquisition at Madrid. The 
inquisitor had him put into a Hnen garment, and almost squeez- 
ed him to death. When near dying from the pressure, he was 
suddenly released which caused as much anguish as the press- 
ure. He then had small cords tied around his thumbs, and so 
swelled the extremities as to cause the blood to spurt from his 
nails. As he still refused to confess the crime of which he 
was accused, he was put on a bench against the wall, in which 
were fastened iron pulleys with ropes. The ropes were fasten- 
ed to his arms, legs, and around his body, and then drawn to 
cause exquisite pain. The bench was then knocked from 
under him to cause the weight of the body to draw the knots 
closer and increase the agony. He was then tortured on his 
shins, by instruments made of two upright pieces of wood, 
and five cross-bars sharpened somewhat like a ladder. The ex- 
ecutioner, by a particular motion, struck his shins with these 
instruments five blows each way. He fainted, but recovering, 
the executioner tied two ropes around Orobio's wrists, and put 
ropes over his back, and then placed his feet against the wall 
and fell backwards, so that the ropes penetrated the prisoner's 
bones. This was done three times. After the second the phy- 
sician was consulted as to whether the victim could bear an^ 
other; he decided that he could, and it was again inflicted. He 
was sent to his cell, and his wounds were not healed for sev- 
enty days. He did not confess under the torture, and was 
condemned to wear the San-Benito for two years and then to 
perpetual banishment. He died before his penance expired, 
in Amsterdam, in 1707. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 173 

CUT TO DEATH BY THE "PENDULUM." 

Llorente states that when the inquisition was opened in 
Spain, in 1820, twenty, prisoners were found who did not know 
the name of the city in which they were; not one knew per- 
fectly the nature of the crime of which he was accused. One 
of these prisoners had been doomed to suffer death the fol- 
lowing day. His execution was to have been by the ''pendu- 
lum." The condemned, by this process, is fastened on his 
back, in a groove, to a table; suspended above him is a pen- 
dulum, with a sharp edge, and so constructed as to become 
sharper every moment. The victim saw this coming nearer 
every moment; at length it cut the skin of his nose and grad- 
ually cut on, until life was extinct. This was the invention of 
the inquisitors to dispose of their victims at a time when they 
were afraid to celebrate their auto de fe. This mode of put- 
ting to death may be used wherever the Romish Church has 
dungeons. Who will say this or similar modes of torture have 
not been practiced in the subterranean vaults of the Roman 
Catholic churches in the United States to-day? 

THE POWER OF THE INQUISITORS. 



From the Directory for the Inquisitors. Part III. 

Question 32. "An inquisitor may force the governors of 
cities to swear that they will defend the Church against her- 
etics." — Page 560. 

Question 43. "Inquisitors may proceed against the dead, 
who before or after their death were reported to them as 
guilty of heretical depravity." — Page 570. 

Question 56. "Inquisitors may proceed to execute their of- 
fice with an armed force." — Page 583. 

Question 57. "Inquisitors, to seize heretics or their fa- 
vourers, may demand the aid of the civil authority." — Page 585. 

Question 62. "Inquisitors may coerce witnesses to swear 
that they will testify to the truth, and should frequently ex- 
amine them." — Page 600. 

Question 65. "Inquisitors may lawfully admit perjured per- 



174 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

sons to testify and act in cases concerning the faith." — Page 
605. 

Question 66. ''Inquisitors may lawfully receive infamous 
persons, and criminals, or servants against their masters, both 
to act and give evidence in causes respecting the faith." — Page 
606. 

Question 68. "An inquisitor must not admit a heretic to tes- 
tify in a cause of faith against or for a believer." — Page 611. 

Question 69. "Inquisitors may allow heretics to witness 
against heretics, but not for them." — Page 612. 

Question y^. "Inquisitors may torture witnesses to obtain 
the truth, and punish them if they have given false evidence." 
— Page 622. 

Question 74. "Inquisitors may cite and coerce the attend- 
ance of witnesses, and also persons charged with heretical de- 
pravity in different dioceses." — Page 626. 

Question 93. "Penitent heretics may be condemned to per- 
petual imprisonment." — Page 641. 

Question 108. "Inquisitors may provide for their own ex- 
penditures, and the salaries of their officers, from the prop- 
erty of heretics." — Page 652. 

Question no. "Prelates or inquisitors may confiscate the 
property of impenitent heretics, or of persons relapsed." — 
Page 662. 

DEAD BODIES OF MURDERED PROTESTANTS ONLY HALF 

BURIED. 

The Roman Catholics, with the Pope, say and firmly be- 
lieve that no man can be saved out of their communion ; and 
so they reckon as enemies of their faith all those that are of a 
different opinion ; and we may be sure that the Protestants or 
heretics (as they call them) are their irreconcilable enemies. 

They pray publicly for the extirpation of the heretics, Turks, 
and infidels in the mass; and they do really believe they are 
bound in conscience to make use of all sorts of means, let 
them be ever so base, inhuman, and barbarous, for the mur- 
dering of them. This is the doctrine of the Church of Rome, 
which the priests and confessors do take care to sow in the 




Dead Bodies of Murdered Protestants Only Half Buried. 



176 "tHH DBVIl IN THE CHURCH: 

Roman Catholics ; and by their advice, the hatred, maHce, and 
aversion is raised to a great height against the heretics, as you 
shall know by the following instances. 

First, in the last war between Charles the Third and Philip 
the Fifth, the Protestants confederate with Charles did suffer 
very much by the country people. Those encouraged by the 
priests and confessors of Philip's part, thinking that if any 
Christian could kill a heretic, he should do God service, did 
murder in private many soldiers, both English and Dutch. I 
saw, and I do speak now before God and the world, in a town 
called Ficentes de Ebro, several arms and legs out of the 
ground in the field, and inquiring the reason why those corpses 
were buried in the field (a thing indeed not unusual there), I 
was answered, that those were the corpses of some English 
heretics, murdered by the patrons or landlords, who had killed 
them to show their zeal for their religion, and an old maxim 
among them : De los Enemigos los menos : let us have 
as few enemies as we can. Fourteen English private men were 
the night before in their beds, and buried in the field, and I 
myself reckoned all of them ; and I suppose many others were 
murdered whom I did not see, though I heard of it. 

The murderers make no scruple of it, but, out of bravery 
and zeal for their religion, tell it to the father confessor, not as 
a sin, but as a famous action done by them in favor of their 
faith. So great is the hatred and aversion the Catholics have 
against the Protestants and all enemies of their religion. We 
could confirm the truth of this proposition with the cruelty of 
the late king of France against the poor Huguenots, whom we 
now call refugees. This is well known to everybody, there- 
fore I leave Lewis and his counsellors where they are in the 
other world, where it is to be feared they endure more torments 
than the banished refugees in this present one. So, to con- 
clude what I have to say upon the head or title of this bull, 
I may positively affirm that the Pope's design in granting it is, 
first, out of interest ; secondly, to encourage the common peo- 
ple to make war, and to root up all the people that are not of 
his communion, or to increase, this way, if he can, his revenues, 
or the treasure of the Church. 



HIS SnCRHT WORKS EXPOSED. 177 

"THE SMELL OF A ROTTEN PROTESTANT IS GOOD." 

History tells of the murder of thirty thousand Protestants 
by the order of Catherine de Medicis of France, who pretended 
to grant the Huguenots an advantageous peace, and, to ce- 
ment it, proposed a marriage of her daughter to Henry, the 
young king of Navarre, a Protestant. The heads of the Pro- 
testants were all invited to the palace to attend the wedding on 
St. Bartholomew's Day; and in the midst of the festivities the 
great bell of the palace struck, the concerted signal for the 
butchery of all Protestant guests. No warnings were given, 
no opportunities to escape were offered; but Admiral Coligni, 
the guest of Charles IX., the king, was killed in the palace, his 
head was severed from his body, every indignity was heaped 
upon the body, and at last, while hanging feet upward until 
the bloated carcass, festering and rottening, filled with the pois- 
onous ef^uvia, Charles IX. and his mother rode beneath it, and 
exclaimed, "The smell of a rotten Protestant is good." No 
parallel in history! 

THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS OE THE INQUISITION. 

The Inquisition lasted from the 13th to the 19th century; 
indeed, it still exists where Rome has the power! Lorente, one 
of the last saretims of the Inquisition, gives a list of those who 
in Spain suffered death and other punishments from 1452 to 
181 1. He tells us that 31,788 were burned, 174,111 died in 
prison, and 287,522 suffered other punishments. In 1209 Pope 
Innocent III. proclaimed a crusade against the Albigenses, 
which lasted for eighteen years. The terrible war of the Huss- 
ites lasted for over fifteen years; the persecutions of the Hu- 
guenots from 1472 to 1598. John Huss was burned in Con- 
stance in 141 5. Jerome of Prague met the same fate in 1616, 
and Savanarola was burned in 1598. Michael Servetus was 
burned in Geneva at the instigation of John Calvin, because he 
denied the doctrine of the Trinity. At the massacre of St. 
Bartholomew, in 1572, about 30,000 Protestants were killed in 
Paris alone, and more than 100.000 in France. 



178 THE DHVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

HQW DELICATE WOMEN HAVE BECOME DARING PERSECU- 
TORS. 

If the United States should be so unfortunate as to fall un- 
der the control of Rome, the Inquisition would be introduced 
in this country, as it has been in every popish country on earth. 
Free America, just yet, is not ready for such a tribunal. 

The tortures which the Roman Inquisitors and Priests de- 
vised, to inflict their malignant rage upon the Christians whom 
they sacrificed to satisfy their Lord God the Pope, to disclose 
the diabolical character of Romanism, such as that it would be 
in the United States of America, if the Roman Priesthood 
swayed. 

The poisonous spirit and principles of Popery stifle all nat- 
ural tenderness, and spoil the most amiable dispositions; for 
gentle and delicate women, ''timorous things who start at 
feathers and fly from insects," when animated by the demon of 
Popery, have become daring persecutors, exulting in carnage, 
and surveying with delight streams of Christian blood and piles 
of naked mangled bodies, or inhaling with greediness the 
smoke of the Auto da Fa, and the eflluvia of a roasting Her- 
etic; thus demonstrating, that they who are intoxicated with 
the golden cup of Rome's filthiness and abominations, and be- 
witched by the sorceries of her enchanted wine, having imbibed 
a vindictive and treacherous spirit, not less sanguinary than the 
scarlet and purple tincture, in which is arrayed the ''MYS- 
TERY; BABYLON THE GREAT; MOTHER OF THE 
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH !" 

THE TERRIBLE WORK OF THE INQUISITION. 

It is well known that for centuries the "Holy" and "In- 
fallible" Pope of Rome, though sweet and humble servants of 
the meek and lowly Jesus, delighted in persecuting and tortur- 
ing and murdering the noblest and holiest on earth, because, 
glorying in the liberty of Christ's pure Gospel they refuse to 
have their consciences and their souls bound by the fetters of 
Popish superstitions and falsehoods. The Little Horn was to 
be a persecuting power, and this has always been the charac- 




Koman Catholic Barbarity During the Times of the Inquisition. 



i8o THE DHVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

teristic of the Church of Rome, and this brands her unmistake- 
ably as the anti-Christ. If anything could have ^Vorn out the 
saints of the Most High," and banished evangelical religion 
from the face of the earth, it would have been the persecutions 
of the Papal power. In the year of 1208, a crusade was pro- 
claimed by Pope Innocent — very innocent! — against the 
Waldenses and Albigenses, in which a million people perished. 
''From the beginning of the Order of the Jesuits in 1540 to 
1580, nine hundred thousand were destroyed. One hundred 
and fifty thousand were destroyed by the Inquisition in thirty 
years. In the low countries fifty thousand persons were hanged, 
burned, beheaded, drowned, and buried alive for the crime of 
heresy, within the space of thirty-eight years from the edict of 
Charles V. to the peace of Cambreres in 1557. 



V. 
SHAM MIRACLES, IMAGE WOR- 
SHIPPERS, AND OTHER ROMAN 
CATHOLIC FALLACIES. 



BOMAN CATHOLOCISM IS NO RELIGION. 

The theory that Romanism is a ReHgion is to be fought. It 
is quite common to concede to Roman Cathohcs the same 
right to their reHgion as it concedes to EpiscopaHans, Metho- 
dists, Baptists and others, so long as it is in harmony with the 
spirit of the constitution, but when it is found planning the 
destruction of the nation, then the right to fight it to the bitter 
end is claimed. This is as far as politicians perhaps can go. 
Here is where the Pauline Propaganda begins. It is felt to be 
a duty to oppose the Roman Catholic religion because of what 
it is and does. It is a system that- destroys millions of souls. 
They are as much lost in Rome as if they made no pretension 
to religion. To them, in some way or other, the truth is to be 
proclaimed, believing that if they come to know the truth, the 
truth shall make them free. Says Dr. Joseph Parker, of Lon- 
don, "a man has a perfect right to be a Roman Catholic;" to 
this the Pauline Propaganda dissents. A man has no right to 
lie against God, or beHeve a lie, or even to be damned. Be- 
cause he has no right, he is condemned in sin and the wrath ol 
God abides on him. 
\ 

SHAMEFUL USE OF RELICS. 

Fleury, the celebrated Romish historian, in his Ecclesiastical 
History, relates that on one occasion, in the year 386, St. Am- 
brose being about to consecrate a church at Milan, was pre- 
12 



i82 THE DBVIL IN THU CHURCH: 

vented by the fact that he had no rehcs of martyrs to deposit 
in the altars, when ''immediately his heart burned within him," 
as he declared, "in presage of what was to happen." The his- 
torian proceeds to tell us that God revealed to him in a dream, 
the place where the bodies of St. Gervasius and St. Protasius 
were to be found. "Having discovered their sepulchres, two 
skeletons were discovered, of more than ordinary size, all 
their bones entire, a quantity of blood about, and their heads 
separated from their bodies. They arrayed the bodies, putting 
every bone in its proper place and covered them with cloths 
and laid them on litters. In this manner thev were carried, 
towards evening, to the Basilica of St. Fausta, where vigils 
were celebrated all night. That day and the next, there was a 
great concourse of people, and then the old man recollected 
that "they had formerly heard the names of these martyrs, and 
had read the inscriptions on their tombs." This is the first 
mention we can find of these ''lying wonders" of the Romish 
Church in the line of relics, which at length became so numer- 
ous, and so profitable to "the holy church, out of which there 
is no salvation." 

In 1848, a gentleman, who signed himself "Kirwan," and 
generally understood to be a Presbyterian clergyman, who haa 
once been a Roman Catholic, wrote a series of "Letters to 
Archbishop Hughes of New York," in which he gave his rea- 
sons for not returning to the Romish Church, in which he says : 

"The arms, legs, fingers and toes of saints are greatly mul- 
tiplied. There are eight arms of St. Matthew, three of St. 
John, and almost any number of St. Thomas a-Becket. There 
are in the church of Lateran, the ark made by Moses in the 
wilderness, the rod of Moses, and the table on which the last 
supper was instituted by our Lord. The table entire is at 
Rome; but there are many pieces of it in other places. On the 
altar of the Lateran are the heads of Peter and Paul entire; 
but there are pieces of them in Bilboa greatly honored by the 
monks. St. Peter's church is blessed by the cross of the peni- 
tent thief; with the lantern of Judas ; with the dice used in cast- 
ing lots by the soldiers for the garments of our Saviour ; with 
the tail of Balaam's ass; and with the axe, saw, and hammer. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 183 

of St. Joseph. Different churches are enriched with pieces of 
the wood of the cross; were the pieces all brought together 
they would make a hundred crosses. In one church is some of 
the manna of the wilderness ; in another some blossoms from 
Aaron's rod ; in another an arm of St. Simon ; in another a pic- 
ture of the Virgin painted by Luke; in another one of her 
combs; in another the combs of the apostles, but little used; in 
another a part of the body of St. Lazarus, that smells; in an- 
other part of the Gospel of Mark, in his own handwriting; in 
another the finger of St. Ann, the Virgin's sister; in another 
St. Patrick's stick, with which he drove the venomous reptiles 
from Ireland; in another some of St. Joseph's breath caught 
by an angel in a vial ; in another a piece of the rope with which 
Judas hung himself; in another some of the Virgin's hair; in 
another some of her milk. And the monks once showed among 
their relics the spear and shield with which Michael encounter- 
ed the dragon of Revelation; and some relic-monger had a 
feather from the wing of the Holy Spirit when taking the form 
of a dove he abode upon Christ at his baptism ! 

"I will not, I cannot, here dwell on the awful abuses of your 
doctrine of relics ; on the robbery of all kinds of graves in Pal- 
estine, and the hawking of pilfered bones all over Europe ; on 
the selling of old wood, sufficient to warm a small town 
through the winter as pieces of the cross; on the selling" of 
hands and feet of particular saints, until the proof is positive 
that some of them had as many hands as Briareus, and as many 
feet of the crawling worm we call the centipede. I turn from 
the abuses to the doctrine. 

"Now, sir, where is the origin of your doctrine of relics ? Can 
you find a trace of it in the New Testament? Will you, for a 
moment, compare the sham miracles wrought at the tombs of 
some of your saints, with that wrought by the bones of a 
prophet of Israel? Will you dare to say that the curing of a 
sore throat by a dead man's hand is to be placed in the same 
ground with miraculous cures of the apostles? I venerate the 
names, I would even decorate the tombs, of the good, but what 
virtue is there in a bone from the body of Peter or Paul ? or in 
a slip of wood from the cross, or in a strand of rope with which 



i84 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Judas hung himself, or in some hairs from the tail of the beast 
which Balaam whipped? 

''If relics ever performed miracles why don't they perform 
some now? Is the virtue of all your old bones exhausted? 
Where is the holy coat of Treves? Where are now the pil- 
grims to the bones of Becket? Where is your shop in New 
York for the sale of old teeth, and holy fingers, and holy bones, 
taken from the graves of the saints? Sir, the whole matter is 
one of the vilest impositions ever practiced upon the credulity 
of man. I do not charge you with believing a word of it, I could 
almost as soon beheve in the virtue of the paring of toe nails 
of some of your saints as admit that a man of your high sense 
could believe in these things." 

This letter of Kirwan to the Archbishop will give us some 
idea to the extent to which the papacy carries this fraudulent 
and infamous business, by which they knowingly and wilfully 
rob the people. Writers who have made the subject of Romish 
relics a matter of special study, give us much interesting infor- 
mation in regard thereto. They tell us that the body of the 
Apostle Bartholomew is declared in the Roman Brieviary and 
Martyrology to have been translated from Benevento to Rome 
by the Emperor Otto III., and is alleged to be entire. It is 
attested by bulls of Alexander III. and Sixtus V. But the 
Church of Benevento alleges that the entire body of Bartholo- 
mew is there still, and produces bulls to that effect from Leo 
IX., Stephen IX., Benedict XII., and Urban V. (all infallible, 
you know), the earliest of which popes reigned fifty years after 
the death of Otto III. Here then are two entire bodies of this 
one Apostle but Monte Casino claims the possession of a large 
part of the body, and so does Reims. But besides these, there 
are three heads of this same Apostle ; one at Naples ; one for- 
merly at Reichman, and a third at Toulouse; two crowns of 
the head at Frankfort and Prague ; part of a skull at Maes- 
tricht; a jaw at Steinfield; part of a jaw at Prague; two jaws at 
Cologne, and a lower jaw at Murbach ; an arm and a hand at 
Gersiac; a second arm with the flesh at Bethune; a third arm 
at Am^lfi ; a large part of a fourth arm at Foppens ; a fifth arm, 
and part of a sixth at Cologne ; a seventh arm at Andechs ; an 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 185 

eighth arm at Ebers; three large leg or arm bones at Prague; 
part of an arm at Brussels, and other large portions of the 
body, not reckoning trifles like skin, teeth, and hair, in twenty 
other places. 

Three different places claim to possess the head of John the 
Baptist. A gentleman, making a tour of Italy, declares that 
while examining the relics in an Italian city, he was shown the 
head of John the Baptist. He said to the monk who was ex- 
hibiting them, "How is this; I was shown the head of John the 
Baptist two days ago in another city." ''O," said the monk, 
"that is all right; the head you saw there is the head of John 
when he was a young man ; but this is his head that was cut off 
by King Herod." 

It is only in recent years that so strange an exhibition as the 
translation and procession of such relics has been made a public 
spectacle in the United States of America; but these heathen 
performances and other Pagan acts of the Roman Catholic 
Church are becoming more public and prominent as that apos- 
tate church increases in political power by the^great immigra- 
tion of superstitious and ignorant papists from foreign lands, 
who so soon become voters without becoming Americans. The 
first of these heathenish ceremonies on the United States soil 
took place in Hoboken, N. J., directly opposite New York 
City, in the year of 1856, on the first day of June. This cere- 
mony was described, and the bishop's speech reported in the 
public newspapers on the following day. 

ST. ANNE'S BONE RAISES TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. 

Some years ago, a Romish Church in New York City being 
very anxious to "raise the wind," imported from somewhere 
the arm bone of St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary. 
Archbishop Corrigan, of New York, says that at least twenty- 
five thousand people visited this old bone. Thousands of su- 
perstitious people paid their money for the privilege of kiss- 
ing the box in which the old bone is kept. New York news- 
papers contained almost daily accounts of the crowds that at- 
tended the fortunate Church, of the marvelous cures effected 
by the useful old bone. The names and addresses of many who 



i86 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

were cured were printed ; but when reporters and others called 
at the houses specified, to see the lucky persons who had been 
miraculously cured by this old bone, the persons could never 
be seen. They always happened to be "out," or "engaged." 
But the Church that got up this exhibition did a good thing for 
itself, clearing in a little while, it is said, more than $20,000. 
And this fraud and deception, and robbery of the people went 
on for weeks right under the eyes of the police as they deserved 
to have been, and not one of the robbers was indicted or ar- 
rested, while many a poor man, out of employment, and driven 
almost to despair on account of his starving wife and children 
was put in jail for stealing the value of a loaf of bread. But 
then it is not lawful to interfere with religion you know ! And 
St. Anne's old bone is still on its travels from place to place, 
working miracles, and filling the priests' pockets. 

THE PRIEST OH THE DONKEY. 

I will not deprive the public of another superstitious cere- 
mony of the Romish priests, which is very diverting, and by 
which their ignorance will be more exposed to the world; 
and this is practiced on the Sunday before Easter, which is 
called Dominica Palmarum, in which the church commemor- 
ates the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, sit- 
ting on an ass, the people spreading their clothes and branches 
of olive trees on the ground; so in imitation of this triumph, 
they do the same in some churches and convents. 

The circumstance of one being representative of Jesus, on 
an ass, I never saw practiced in Saragossa, and I was quite un- 
acquainted with it till I went to Alvalate, a town that belongs 
to the archbishop in temporalibus and spiritualibus, whither I 
was obliged to retire with his grace, in his precipitate flight 
from King Charles' army, for fear of being taken prisoner of 
state. We were there at the Franciscan convent on that Sun- 
day, and the archbishop being invited to the ceremony of the 
religious triumph, I went with him to see it, which was per- 
formed in the following manner: 

All the friars being in the body of the church, the guardian 
placing his grace at the right hand, the procession began, every 




Passing in Procession Before the Pope on 
Palm Sunday. 



188 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

friar having a branch of oHve trees in his hand^ which was 
blessed by the Rev. Father Guardian; so the cross going be- 
fore, the procession went out of the church to a large yard 
before it. But, what did we see at the door of the church, but 
a fat friar, dressed like a Nazarene, on a clever ass, two friars 
holding the stirrups, and another pulling the ass by the bridle. 
The representative of Jesus Christ took place before the arch- 
bishop. The ass was an he one, though not so fat as the friar, 
but the ceremony of throwing branches and. clothes before him, 
being quite strange to him, he began to start and caper, and 
at last threw down the heavy load of the friar. The ass ran 
away, leaving the reverend on the ground, with one arm 
broken. This vmusual ceremony was so pleasing to us all, 
that his grace, notwithstanding his deep melancholy, laughed 
heartily at it. The ass was brought back, another friar, mak- 
ing the representative, put an end to this ass-like ceremony. 

But the ignorance and superstition begins now; when the 
ceremony was over, a novice took the ass by the bridle, and 
began to walk in the cloister, and every friar made a reverence, 
passing by, and the people kneeling down before him, said, O 
happy ass ! But his grace, displeased at so great a supersti- 
tion, spoke to the guardian, and desired him not to suffer the 
friars to give such an example to the ignorant people, as to 
adore the ass. The guardian was a pleasant man, and seeing 
the archbishop so melancholy, only to make him laugh, told 
his grace that it was impossible for him to obey his grace with- 
out removing all his friars to another convent, and bring a 
new community. ''Why so?" said his grace. ''Because," re- 
plied the guardian, " all my friars are he asses." "And you the 
guardian of them," answered his grace. Thus priests and friars 
excite the people to adore images. 

PRIEST CROSSES A RIVER OF WATER ON A DRY PATHWAY. 

"I heard a pleasant story, reported in town, from a faithful 
person, who assured me he saw, himself, a friar come out of 
the refectory, at 8 at night, and as he came out of the convent's 
gate, the moon shining that night, and the shadow of the house 
being in the middle of the street, the merry friar thinking that 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 189 

the light of the moon, in the other half part of the street, was 
water, he took off his shoes and stockings, and so walked till 
he reached the shadow ; and being asked by his friend the 
meaning of such extravagant folly, the friar cried out, a mir- 
acle, a miracle ! The gentleman thought that the friar was 
mad ; but he cried the more, a miracle ! a miracle ! — Where is 
the miracle ? (the people that came to the windows asked him ;) 
I came this minute through this river, (said he) and I did not 
wet the soles of my feet ; and then he desired the neighbors to 
come and be witnesses of the miracle. In such a condition the 
honor of the advocate of that day did put the reverend friars ; 
and this and the like effects such festivals occasion, both in the 
members of the convents and corporations." 

NEVER CONEESSED TO THE SAME PRIEST TWICE. 

- A friend of mine, when recently visiting Surges, had much 
conversation with the laquais-de-place, whom he employed to 
show him the objects of interest in the city and neighborhood. 
He found that this man was pursuing a very profligate course ; 
when the following dialogue took place : ''Are you a Roman 
Catholic?" "Yes, certainly I am." ''Do you then ever go to 
confession?" "Oh, yes." "But you do not confess to the 
priest what you have acknowledged to me." "To be sure I 
do; how else could I get absolution?" "I should suppose you 
could not obtain it a second time." "Oh, yes, I always do ; for 
there are several hundred priests in this city and neighbor- 
hood, and I never confess to the same priest twice." 

MONEY CAN BUY ANYTHING. 

In the elegant Cathedral of Namur a money-box may be ob- 
served set apart for its benefit, and which an inscription on it 
describes to be for the reception of the offerings of those who 
eat meat in Lent. And what said Claude D'Espence, a cele- 
brated Parisian divine of the Romish Church? "Provided 
money can be extorted, every thing prohibited is permitted. 
There is almost nothing forbidden that is not dispensed with 
for money; so that, as Horace said of his age, the greatest 



I90 THH DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

crime that a man can commit is to be poor. There are some 
crimes which persons may commit for money ; while absohition 
from all of them, after they have been, committed, may be 
bought." 

MANY INSTANCES OF THE USES TO WHICH RELICS ARE PUT. 

In this county of Monaghan, Ireland, there is a well, said to 
have been consecrated by St. Patrick, near which is a small 
heap of stones, surmounted by a large one, having on it the 
print of his knee, and over all a stone cross, said to be erected 
there by himself; and at the distance of forty-nine paces there 
is an alder tree, which is affirmed to have sprung up immediate- 
ly on his blessing the ground. The pilgrims who come hither 
first kneel at the north side of the well, salute St. Patrick, and 
say fifteen paters and one creed. They rise up, bow to him, 
walk thrice around the well, and drink of the water each time 
at the place where they began. From thence they go to the 
heap of stones, bow to the cross, kiss the print of St. Patrick's 
knee, and put one of their knees into it. They then go thrice 
around the heap on their knees, always kissing this stone ; when 
they come to it they rise up, bow to it, and walk thrice around 
bowing to the stone whenever they come before it, and the last 
time they kiss it. They go from the, heap of stones to the alder 
tree, beginning at the west side by bowing to it, then going 
thrice around they bow to it from the east to west, and then say 
fifteen paters and one creed. When any of the neighbors have 
their cattle sick, some of the water of this well is used in ex- 
pectation of a cure — a strange and almost incredible folly, 
which is, however, of frequent occurrence. 

But the most remarkable superstition of this kind appears in 
the pilgrimage of immense numbers of persons to St. Patrick's 
Purgatory, which is in an island situated in the midst of a lake 
in the county of Donegal. As soon as they come in sight of 
it they take off their shoes and stockings, uncover their heads, 
and walk with their beads in one hand, and sometimes with a 
cross in the other, to the lake side, from whence at the charge 
of six pence each, they are ferried over. They then go to the 
prior, and ask his blessing; and afterwards to St. Patrick's 



HIS SBC RET WORKS BX POSED. 191 

altar, where, on their knees, they say one pater, one ave, and 
one creed, at the close of which they rise and enter the chapel, 
where they recite three paters, three aves, and one creed. Be- 
ginning now at a corner of the chapel, they walk around it and 
St. Patrick's altar seven times, saying ten ave-marias and one 
pater every circuit. And the first and last they kiss the cross 
before the chapel, and at the last touch it with their shoulders. 

They then visit the penitential beds, on which seven saints 
are said to have slept, and each of which is a collection of hard 
stones ; they go around each of these thrice, while three paters, 
three aves, and one creed are said, and then kneeling, they re- 
cite the like number. Each bed is now separately entered, and 
going around it thrice in the inside they say three paters, three 
aves, and one creed ; at the close of which they kneel and re- 
peat three more of each. Leaving these beds, they go into the 
water, and thrice around some sacred stones, saying five paters, 
five aves, and one creed; after that they go further into the 
water to another stone, and say one pater, one ave, and one 
creed, with their hands lifted up; from thence they return to 
the chapel, where they repeat the Lady's Psalter, consisting, 
according to some, of fifty aves and five paters, or according 
to others, of a hundred and fifty aves and five paters ; and thus 
they finish one station, which must be performed every day, 
about sun-rise, noon, and sun-set, bread and water only being 
allowed the pilgrims. 

On the ninth day they are put by the prior into St. Patrick's 
cave, where they are closely shut up for twenty-four hours, are 
bound to say there as many prayers as on the preceding days,, 
and are denied all kinds of refreshments. On the tenth day 
they are released, when they proceed immediately into the 
water to wash themselves, and more particularly the head. 
During these cerem.onies mass is celebrated several times a 
day, and a sermon is daily preached in the Irish language. Con- 
fession must be made to a priest before the stations are begun, 
and some pilgrims do it much oftener, paying six pence each 
time. In all their perambulations a staff, with a cross at the 
end, is carried. 

If any cannot perform this penance themselves, a license 



192 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

may be obtained from the prior for another to do it for them; 
the proxy is paid for this service, and it is considered as avail- 
able as that of the original party. On the return of the pil- 
grims, they are treated by all the common people v^ith great 
veneration; they generally kneel dov^n and ask their blessing. 
Here again is the influence of the totally unscriptural doctrine 
of human merit ; the deluded creatures w^ho have gone through 
the penances described, fancy they have gained it; and those 
who meet them on their w^ay, equally superstitious, suppose 
that their v^ords convey some peculiar virtue. 

A superstitious reverence is paid by pilgrims to v^hat are 
called relics, the remains of the bodies or clothes of saints or 
martyrs, and the instruments by which they were put to death, 
' which being devoutly preserved in honor to their memory, or 
kissed, revered, and sometimes carried in procession. Charle- 
magne is declared to have been a great collector of relics, and 
to have obtained some of the most important from Jerusalem 
itself, from his having become master, as emperor of the West, 
not only of the holy sepulchre, but of many other sacred places 
and treasures, for which he was indebted to the king of Persia; 
while many precious relics are said to have been presents to 
him from the Greek emperors at Constantinople. Receiving 
them from every part of the globe, from a dread of his arms, 
or attachment to his religion, he distributed them among the 
various churches he found, reserving the chief of them for his 
favorite of Notre Dame, at Aix la Chapelle. 

The visitors who wish to behold them are soon introduced to 
the sacristan, who orders two candles to be lighted, though the 
room may not be at the time so dark as absolutely to require 
their aid. The relics are divided into two classes; the great 
and small. The former are in a large silvergilt shrine, in the 
form of a gothic tomb, richly sculptured, and adorned, it is 
said, with precious stones. On its being opened, the relics are 
exhibited for a fortnight, every seven years, to crowds of de- 
votees, who joyously receivd fragments of the old silks in which 
they have been wrapped. They are affirmed to be — the large 
cloth which received the body of John the Baptist after being 
beheaded ; the swaddling clothes in which Christ was attired in 



-i 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 193 

the manger of Bethlehem ; and as the most precious of the 
whole, the linen which the Redeemer wore on the cross, bear- 
ing upon it the traces of his blood ! 

The small relics, carried around the city once a year, are de- 
posited in various shrines and cases. They are said to be the 
skull and two other bones of Charlemagne ; a tooth of St. Cath- 
erine; some hair of John the Baptist; a link of the chain of 
Peter when in prison ; a morsel of the arm of Simeon, in which 
he held the infant Saviour; Christ's leathern girdle; a piece of 
the cord with which his hands were bound on the cross ; a piece 
of the sponge with which his lips were moistened; a spine of 
the crown of thorns which was placed on his head; and, omit- 
ting a few relics of humbler pretensions, one or two pieces of 
the true cross! 

At the back of the high altar of the church at Kreutzberg, 
there is a wide and superb marble stair case, leading down to 
the front of the edifice. So sacred is this professedly esteemed, 
that visitors are not allowed to walk on it, but are obliged to 
descend by its side. What, then, is the claim set up for? That 
it belonged to Pilate's judgment hall, was trodden by the Re- 
deemer after he was scourged, and that after being taken from 
Jerusalem to Rome, it was brought hither! Little circular 
pieces of brass let into the stone, representing a number of 
drops of blood clotted together, are pointed out, and for these 
it is to be regarded with peculiar veneration. 

Here the influence of the Pope appears. It is he who war- 
rants the supernatural state of incorruption of the body of one 
saint, and traces, it is supposed, with unerring certainty, some 
straggling limb to another ! He, alone, has also the undoubted 
power of virtually furnishing the members of the Romish 
Church with the relics of the most ancient or unknown patri- 
archs and martyrs, by declaring the fragments of any skeleton 
from the. catacombs to be a part of the body in request. This 
is called christening relics. The persuasion that bones which 
have passed through this process, are as good as those of a 
favorite saint to whom they are attributed, is general in Spain, 
and probably common to all Romanists. 

In early ages we find the origin of a widely extended, and to 




Bitter Persecutions of Protestants in the Fifteenth Century. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 195 

the Church of Rome, a profitable superstition. Thus, a hole 
was made in the coffins of forty martyrs at Constantinople, 
from an opinion that whatever touched them, derived from so 
doing extraordinary benefits. An ancient custom also pre- 
vailed among the Christians of assembling at the burial places 
of martyrs, to commemorate them, and to perform Divine wor- 
ship there. Under the dominion of Constantine the Great, 
stately churches were erected over sepulchres ; religious ser- 
vices performed over them were thought to have a peculiar 
sanctity and virtue ; hence the practice afterwards obtained of 
depositing relics of saints and martyrs under the altars of 
churches. St. Ambrose would not consecrate a church because 
it had none ; and the council of Constantinople in Trullo, de- 
creed that those altars under which no relics were found, 
should be demolished. So excessive, indeed, became the rage 
for procuring relics, that the emperor, Theodosius the Great, 
passed a law in 386, forbidding the people to dig up the bodies 
of the martyrs, and to traffic in their relics.' 

The necessity of relics in a church is pleaded for in the pres- 
ent day. In the sanctuary, as it is called, of every Roman Cath- 
olic chapel, as we have seen, appears the altar, which, in Eng- 
land, is of wood, stone, or marble ; but there must be, at least, 
a square slab of the latter in the centre, on which, to use the 
Papists' phrase, ''the sacrifice may be offered." Its corners 
bear the intials of the saint or angel to which it is dedicated, 
or else those of the Virgin or the Saviour; and in it it is said 
there must be deposited a portion of the blood, bones, or other 
relics of saints. The process adopted in this case is not a little 
singular. The initials are always deeply engraved in the marble, 
and the bones, or other relics, being reduced to powder, are 
mixed with what is considered to be the blood, and then poured 
into the incisions, where they become hard. It is believed that 
the slabs are brought from Rome, and that the relics are de- 
posited under the directions of the Pope ; but every one under- 
goes the ceremony of consecration, and when set in its ap- 
pointed place is covered with a linen cloth, adored with fringes, 
ribbons, and lace. 

The influx of travellers in early times into the eastern pro- 



196 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

vinces, in order to frequent the places which Christ and his dis- 
ciples had honored with their presence, that with their bones 
and other remains they might exert what was deemed a valu- 
able influence, led, of course, to a great amount of fraud and 
imposture. The craft, dexterity and knavery of the Greeks 
found a rich prey in the credulity of the Latin relic-hunters. 
The latter paid considerable sums for legs and arms, skulls and 
jaw-bones, many of which were pagan, and some not human, 
and other things which were supposed to belong to distin- 
guished members of the early Church ; and thus they came into 
possession of relics shown with much ostentation at the pres- 
ent day. 

Of imposition, in such cases, many instances might be 
given. Luther says, he had seen an image of Mary with her 
child, in the monastery at Isenach. When a wealthy person 
came thither to pray to it, the child turned away its face to its 
mother, as if it refused to hsten and had to seek Mary's help. 
But if the applicarft gave liberally to the monastery the child 
turned to him again; and if he promised to give more, it 
showed itself very friendly and loving, and stretched out its 
arms over him in the form of a cross. But how was this mir- 
acle wrought? By human mechanism. The image was made 
hollow within, and prepared with hooks, lines, and screws, and 
behind it stood a person who moved it according to the effect 
it was wished to produce. 

One of the military who recounted his campaigns in the 
Spanish war relates, that his company being quartered one 
night in a chapel for shelter, they observed a large image ; in it 
they discovered a small door, by which a man might be admit- 
ted into the body of the figure from the vestry, and strings 
were hanging down by which the eyes might be moved. Just 
as they had done amusing themselves with the juggling trick, 
the priests arrived, and hastened to take down the image, cov- 
ering it with a cloth, and carrying it on a bier, professing to re- 
move it lest it should be profaned by the near approach of her- 
etics ! Their real motive is evident ; they wished to conceal 
the base artifice, but they came too late. 

There is another tale of the same kind. A Dutchman con- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 197 

fessing to a priest at Rome, promised by an oath, to keep secret 
whatever the priest should impart to him till he came into Ger- 
many; on which he received a leg of the ass on which Christ 
rode into Jerusalem, very neatly bound up in a cloth, with 
these words, ''This is the holy relic on which the Lord Christ 
did corporeally sit, and with his sacred legs touched this ass's 
leg !" Greatly pleased with the gift, the Dutchman carried the 
relic into Germany, and when he came on the borders, boasted 
of his possession in the presence of four of his companions, at 
the same time showing it to them. But each of the four had 
also promised the same secrecy, and received the same gift; 
they inquired, therefore, with astonishment, whether the ass 
on which Christ rode had five legs? The question might as 
properly have been, whether it had fifty or five hundred, for 
doubtless such relics were given just as long as there were such 
applicants. 

THE TEARFUL DELUSION CAUSED BY RELICS. 

- The following are exhibited at the church of St. John, at 
Rome, on Holy Thursday: The heads of St. Peter and St. 
Paul, incased in silver busts, set with jewels; a lock of the Vir- 
gin Mary's hair, and a piece of her petticoat ; a robe of the 
Saviour's sprinkled with his blood ; some drops of his blood in 
a small vial ; some of the water which flowed from the wound 
in his side ; some of the sponge raised to his lips ; the table at 
which our Lord ate the last supper — which could only have 
held the twelve apostles by miracle, as it seems impossible for 
more than two persons to sit at it ; a piece of stone of the sep- 
ulchre on which the angel sat; and the very porphyry pillar 
from which the cock crowed after Peter denied Christ. "I 
thought all these sufficiently marvelous," says the narrator, 
''but what was my surprise to find the rods of Moses and 
Aaron ! Though how they got them nobody knows — and two 
pieces of the wood of the real ark of the covenant !" 

The absurdity of such pretensions might excite a smile were 
it not for the flagrant wickedness by which they are often ac- 
companied. Thus an account of the relics of Charlemagne is 
still sold at Aix-la-Chapelle, under the authority of the vicar- 
13 



198 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

general. It not only describes them, but argues their genuine- 
ness, and contains the form of words annually employed in an- 
nouncing the four great relics to the people, with the prayers 
that are to be offered during their exhibition ; one of which is 
for the Pope and his cardinals, the king of Prussia, the arch- 
bishop of Cologne, the city and authorities of the place in 
which they are shown, the pilgrims by whom they are visited, 
and the souls of the departed. Still further, it teaches that the 
presence and contemplation of these relics are a pledge of the 
special favor and intercession of those for whose use they were 
consecrated, or with whose persons they were once identified ; 
and they are actually pronounced to be the source of all happi- 
ness, welfare and prosperity to the city, having, notwithstand- 
ing the devastation of the Normans, and the troubles occasion- 
ed by the heretics, its occupancy by enemies, and its having been 
repeatedly destroyed by fire, never been taken away or fallen 
under the power of adversaries. 

Such facts as these are really confounding; it is difficult to 
give any adequate expression to our disgust and horror. Oil, 
holy-water, and reHcs, bones, bits of wood or cloth, and other 
scraps of trumpery, stands in the place of God. In them is the 
power by which evil may be averted and good enjoyed ! Fear- 
ful is such delusion, tremendous the criminality it involves. 

"SAVED MORE SOULS WITH INDULGENCES THAN ST. PAUL 

WITH HIS SERMONS." 

"Indulgences," says Tetsel, ''are the most precious and sub- 
lime of God's gifts. This cross (pointing to the red cross) has 
as much efficacy as the cross of Jesus Christ. Draw near, and 
I will give you letters duly sealed, by which even the sins you 
desire to commit shall be all forgiven you. 

''I would not exchange my privileges for those of St. Paul in 
heaven, for I have saved more souls with my indulgences than 
he with his sermons. 

''There is no sin so great that the indulgence cannot remit 
it, and if any one should ravish the Holy Virgin, Mother of 
God, (which is doubtless impossible) let him only pay largely 
and it shall be forgiven him. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 199 

''Even repentance is not indispensible. 

''But more than this, indulgences save not the living alone, 
they also save the dead. 

"Ye priests, ye nobles, ye tradesmen, ye wives, ye maidens, 
and ye young men, hearken to your departed parents and 
friends who cry to you from the bottomless abyss : 'We are en- 
during horrible torment. A small alms would deliver us, you 
can give it and you will not.' 

"The very moment," cried Tetsel, "that the money clinks 
against the bottom of the chest, the soul escapes from purga- 
tory, and flies free to heaven. 

"O senseless people, and almost like beasts, who do not com- 
prehend the grace so richly afforded ! This day heaven is on 
all sides open. Do you now refuse to enter? When then do 
you intend to come in? This day you may redeem many souls. 
Dull, and heedless man, with ten groshens you can deliver 
your father from purgatory, but you are so ungrateful that you 
will not rescue him. In the day of judgment my conscience 
will be clear, but you will be punished the more severely for 
neglecting so great a salvation. I protest that although you 
should have only one coat, you ought to strip if off and sell it, 
to purchase this grace. Our Lord God no longer deals with 
us as God. He has given all power to the Pope. Bring your 
money! Bring money! Bring money!" Luther said, "He 
uttered this cry with such a dreadful bellowing that one might 
have thought that some wild bull was rushing among the peo- 
ple, and goring with his horns!" For particular sins Tetsel 
had a private scale. Polygamy cost six ducats; sacrilege and 
perjury nine ducats; murder, eight; witchcraft, two. 

Samson, who carried on in Switzerland the same traffic as 
Tetsel in Germany, had rather a different scale. He charged 
for infanticide, four livres tournois ; for a paricide or fratricide, 
one ducat. 

It would be interesting to pursue this subject further, but 
space will not permit. In England and the United States, the 
priests of Rome seek to cast dust in the eyes of Protestants 
by trying to explain away the more repulsive aspects of the 
system of indulgences, while compelled to acknowledge that 




Koinanists Burying* Protestants Alive. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 201 

the system still exists. As God alone can remit either the guilt 
or penalty of sin, the Pope, in granting indulgences, stands 
forth, branded by Almighty God as the great blasphemer, and 
Antichrist. 

TEimiBLE BLASPHEMY AGAINST GOD. 

There is a very ponderous volume entitled "Corpus Juris 
Canonici, emendatum et notis illustratum, Gregorii XIII. 
Pont. Max. Jussu editum. Cum licentia." To that digest of 
the entire canons of pontifical laws, is prefixed the ratification 
of the Pope, Gregorius Papa XIII. — "Ad futuram rei memor- 
iam." Which volume, that Pope proclaimed, he commanded 
to be published for the convenience of all the Papists through- 
out the world, that all the Roman Priests may know their duty 
to the Pontiff; and urging all secular authorities to enforce his 
assumed power and prerogatives. It should be remembered 
that not one jot or tittle of the whole farrago of impiety and 
despotism has ever been denied or rescinded; and that the 
whole is uniformly taught by everyRoman priest to his votaries, 
and constantly exacted in all places and periods, when it can be 
done with the certainty of success. The following condensed 
catalogue of the Papal usurpations, depicts the very image of 
Antichrist, as "exalted in the Temple of God, above all that is 
called God, and that is worshipped." 

The references are minutely given, so that all persons can 
verify the truth of the quotations without difficulty. 

I. It standeth upon necessity of salvation, for every human 
creature to be subject unto the Pope of Rome. — Boniface 
VIII. Extravag. de Majorit. et Obedient. Cap. Unam. 

6. The Papacy is the holy and apostolic mother-church of all 
other churches of Christ ; from whose rules no persons should 
deviate ; but like as the Son of God came to do the will of his 
Father, so must you do the will of your mother the Church, the 
head whereof is Rome : and if any persons shall err from the 
said church, let them be admonished, or else their names be 
taken, to be known that they swerve from the Romish cus- 
toms. — Lucius, Dist. 24. Quest, i. Cap. Recta. — Calixtus, 
Dist. 12. Cap. Non decet. — Innocent, Dist. 11. Cap. Quis. 



202 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

13. The Pope's power is not of man but from God, who hath 
appointed him Master and Governor over the miiversal 
Church. 

It is his ofifice, therefore, to look upon every mortal sin of 
all men; whereby all criminal offenses of kings and others are 
subject to his censure; so that all persons, at any time and in 
every case, either before or after trial and sentence, may appeal 
to the Pope. — Innocent III. De judiciis. Cap. Novit. — Mar- 
cellus, Cans. 2. Quest. 6. Cap. Ad Romanam. 

16. Be it known to all men, that Rome is the Prince and 
Head of all nations ; the Mother of faith ; the cardinal foundation 
whereupon all churches do depend, as the door upon its 
hinges ; the first of all seats, without spot or blemish ; the Lady, 
Mistress, and Instructor of all churches ; and a glass and spec- 
tacle to all men to be followed in everything which the Roman 
Pontiff observes and ordains. — Caus. 2. Quest. 7. 

18. Whosoever speaketh against the papacy is a heretic, a 
Pagan, a witch, an Idolater, and an Infidel. — Nicholas, Dist. 22. 
Cap. Omnes. — Gregory, Dist. 81. Cap. Si qui. 

21. The Pope is Head of the Church of Rome, as a king is 
over his judges; for he is Peter's Vicar and Successor; Vicar 
of Christ ; Rector and Director of the Universal Church ; Chief 
Magistrate of the whole world ; Head and chief of the Aposto- 
lic Church; Universal Pope and Diocesan; Most mighty 
Priest; living law on the earth, having all laws in his breast; 
bearing not the place of man only; neither God nor man, but 
between both, the admiration of the universe ; having both 
swords of temporal and spiritual jurisdiction; and so far sur- 
mounting the authority of the Emperor, that of his own power 
alone, without a council, the Pope has authority to depose the 
Emperor, and transfer his dominions. — Bulla Donationis, 
Dist. 96. Cap. Constantin. — Paschalis, Dist. 63. Cap. Ego. — 
Clement V. Cap. Romani; Glossa. — Boniface VIII. Sixt. 
Decret. Cap. Ubi. — Boniface, Prohem. Cap. Sacrosancta. — 
Anacletus, Dist. 22. Cap. Sarosancta. — Boniface IV. Sixt. 
Decret. Cap. 4. Glossa. — Hilarius, Dist. 25. Quest, i. Nulli. 
— Sixt. Decret. Cap. Ad. Arbitris. Glossa. — Boniface Sixt. 
Decret. De Const. Cap. Eicet. — Innocent III. De Trans. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 203 

Cap. Quanto. — Prohem. Clement. Glossa. "Papa Stupor Mun- 
di. Nee Deus, nee homo^ quasi neuter es inter utrumque." — 
Bontiface Extravag. De Majorit. et. Obed. Cap. Unam. 
Dist. 22. Cap. Omnes. — Sixt. Decret. De Senten. et Re Cap. 
Ad Apostoli; and the Glossa. 

22. What power or potentate in all the world is comparable 
to me, who have authority to bind and loose both in heaven 
and on earth; who have power both of heavenly and tem- 
poral things ; to whom Emperors and Kings are inferior, as 
lead is inferior to gold ? for the necks of kings and princes 
bend under his knees, and are happy to kiss his hands. — Nich- 
olas Dist. 22. Cap. Omnes. — Glossa. — Gelasius, Dist. 96. Cap. 
Duo. Cap. Illud. 

23. If the Pope has power to bind and loose in Heaven, how 
much more to loose Empires, Kingdoms, Dukedoms, and 
whatsoever else mortal man may have, and to give them where 
he will; and if he have authority over Angels, who be Gover- 
nors of Princes, what then may he not do upon their inferiors 
and servants? — Gregory VII. — Platina. 

24. The power of the Pope is greater than Angels in juris- 
diction ; in administration of the Sacraments ; in knowledge ; 
and in reward. Does he not command the Angels to absolve 
the soul out of Purgatory, and carry it into the glory of Para- 
dise? — Antoninus, Pars. 3. Summae majoris. Bulla Clemen- 
tis. 

2)^. The power of the keys is given to the Pope immediately 
from Christ. 3y the jurisdiction of which keys of binding and 
loosing, and dominion, the fullness of Papal power is so great, 
that even Emperors and all others are subjects to the Pope, 
and ought to submit their acts to him. — Dist. 19. Cap. Si Ro- 
manorum. — Gab. Biel. Lib. 4. — Dist. 19. Petrus de Palude. — 
Dist. 95. Cap. Imperator. 

43. The Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ throughout the 
whole world, in the stead of the living God. He hath that do- 
minion and lordship which Christ, when he was upon earth, 
would not assume; that is, the universal jurisdiction of all 
things, both spiritual and temporal; which double jurisdiction 
was signified by the two swords in the gospel, and by the offer- 



204 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ing of the wise men, who offered not only incense, to signify 
the spiritual dominion, but also gold, to point out the temporal 
dominion as belonging to Christ and his Vicar the Pope. We 
read that ''the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof;" and 
Christ said, "all power is given to me in heaven and earth" — 
so it may be affirmed, that the Vicar of Christ hath power over 
all things Celestial, Terrestial, and Infernal. That power he re- 
ceived immediately from Christ; but all others take power di- 
rectly from Peter and the Pope. Those who say that the Pope 
hath dominion only over spiritual things in the world, are like 
the Councillors of the kings of Syria, I Kings 20 123 : ''Their 
gods are gods of the hills, therefore they were stronger than 
we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and we shall be 
stronger than they." Thus evil councillors now, through their 
pestiferous flattery, deceive kings and princes ; maintaining 
that Popes and Prelates are gods of mountains, that is, of spir- 
itual things, but they are not gods of valleys, that is, they have 
no dominion over temporal things, and therefore let us fight 
with them in the valleys for the power of the temporal posses- 
sions, so we shall prevail over them. But what saith the 
sentence of God to them? I Kings 20:28: "Because the Syr- 
ians have said, the Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God 
of the Valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude 
into your hands, and you shall know that I am the Lord." 
What can be more effectually spoken to set forth the Majesty 
of the papal jurisdiction which was received immediately from 
the Lord? — Dreido, de Eccles. Scriptur. et dogmat. — Pevel. 
cont. Luther. — Eckius in Enchir. — Gratianus Decret. — Gerson 
de Eccles. Protestate. — Hugo Cardinal, in Postilla. — Johan. 
Cremata de Ecclesia summa. — Lanfrac cont. Wicliff. — Ock- 
am. Dialog. Pars. i. Lib. 5. 

46. The Pope is to be presumed to be always good and holy; 
and though he be not holy, and be destitute of merit, yet the 
merits of Peter, his predecessor, are sufficient for him, who 
hath bequeathed a perpetual inheritance of merits and dowry 
of innocence to his posterity ; so that although the Pope should 
be guilty of homicide, adultery, and all other sins, he may be 
excused, by the murders of Samson, the thefts of the He- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 205 

brews, and the adultery of Jacob. — Hugo, Dist. 40. Cap. Non 
nos; Glossa. — Caus. 12 Quest. 3. Cap. Absis. And 'if any 
Priest shall be found embracing a woman, it must be expound- 
ed that he doeth it to bless her! 

47. The Pope hath all dignities and all power of all patri- 
archs. In his primacy, he is Abel. In government, ark of 
Noah. In Patriarchdom, Abraham. In order, Melchisedec. 
In dignity, Aaron. In authority, Moses. In seat judicial, Sam- 
uel. In zeal, Elijah. In meekness, David. In power, Peter. 
In unction, Christ ! The power of the Pope is greater than all 
the saints ; what he confirms none should alter ; he favors whom 
he pleases ; he can take from one and give to another ; and all 
persons ought to eschew his enemies. — Caus. 11. Quest. 3. 
Cap. Si inimicus ; Glossa. 

48. All the Earth is the Pope's diocese ; he has the authority 
of the King of all kings over their subjects. — Caus. 11. Quest. 
3. Cap. Si inimicus ; Glossa. 

49. The Pope is all in all and above all; so that God himself 
and the Pope, the Vicar of God, are but one consistory ; for he 
is able to do almost that God can do. Clave non errante, with- 
out error. — Hostiensis, Cap. Quanto de translat. preb. — Bap- 
tist. Summa Casuum. 

56. Thus the Pope hath all power in Earth, Purgatory, Hell 
and Heaven, to bind, loose, command, permit, elect, confirm, 
depose, dispense, .do, and undo — therefore, it is concluded, 
commanded, declared, and pronounced, to stand upon neces- 
sity of salvation, for every human creature to be subject to the 
Pontiff of Rome. — Sixt. Decret. Cap. Felicis ; Glossa. — Boni- 
face VIII. Extravag. De Majorit. et Obed. Cap. Unam 
Sanctam. 

The summary exhibits a mere outline of the impiety and 
despotism which are embodied in all the authorized Papal 
documents and writers. All the modern rescripts which have 
been promulgated by the Roman court, inculcate the same un- 
holy assumption ; although the language is more equivocal, 
and the poison is concealed by the very perfection of Jesuitical 
artifice. 



2o6 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

^'THE SINS OF PROTESTANTS WILL NOT BE EORGIVEN 
THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY." 

Stephen Keenan, in his ''Controversial Catechism/' approv- 
ed by a cardinal, says : 

''Q. Must all who wish to be saved die united to the Catholic 
Church? 

''A. All those who wish to be saved must die united to the 
Catholic Church, for out of her there is no salvation. 

''Q. Have Protestants any faith in Christ? 

"A. They never had. 

''Q. Why not? 

"A. Because there never lived such a Christ as they imagine 
and believe in. 

"Q. In what kind of a Christ do they believe? 

"A. In such a one whom they can make a liar, with impun- 
ity; whose doctrine they can interpret as they please, and who 
does not care what a man believes, providing he is an honest 
man before the public. 

''Q. Will such a faith, in such a Christ, save Protestants? 

''A. No sensible man will assert such an absurdity. 

''Q. What will Christ say to them on the day of judgment? 

''A. I know you not, because you never knew me. 

''Q. Are Protestants willing to confess their sins to a Catho- 
lic priest, who alone has power from Christ to forgive sins? 
'Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven.' 

"A. No; for they generally have an utter aversion to con- 
fession, and therefore their sins will not be forgiven through- 
out all eternity. 

"Q. What follows from this? 

"A. That they die in their sins and are damned." 

PURGATORY, EIGHT DEGREES; HELL, ONLY POUR DEGREES. 

"I cannot give a real account of Purgatory, but I will tell all 
I know of the practices and doctrines of the Romish priests and 
friars, in relation to that imaginary place, which indeed must 
be of vast extent and almost infinite capacity, if, as the priests 
give out, there are as many apartments in it as conditions and 
ranks of people in the world among Roman Catholics. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 207 

The intenseness of the fire in purgatory is calculated by 
them, which they say is eight degrees, and that of hell only 
four degrees. But there is a great difference between these 
two fires, in this, viz : That of purgatory (though more in- 
tense, active consuming and devouring) is but for a time, of 
which the souls may be freed by the suffrages of masses ; but 
that of hell is forever. In both places, they say, the souls are 
tormented, and deprived of the glorious sight of God, but the 
souls in purgatory (though they endure a great deal more than 
those in hell) have certain hopes of seeing God sometime or 
other, and that hope is enough to make them to be called the 
blessed souls. 

Pope Adrian the Third, confessed that there was no mention 
of purgatory in Scripture, or in the writings of the holy fath- 
ers ; but notwithstanding this, the council of Trent has settled 
the doctrine of purgatory without alleging any one passage of 
the Holy Scripture, and gave so much liberty to priests and 
friars by it, that they build in that fiery palace, apartments for 
kings, princes, grandees, noblemen, merchants and tradesmen, 
for ladies of quality, for gentlemen and tradesmen's wives, and 
for poor common people. These are the eight apartments 
which answer to the eight degrees of intensus ignis, i. e. intense 
fire ; and they make the people believe, that the poor people 
only endure the last degree; the second being greater, is for 
gentlewomen and tradesmen's wives, and so on to the eighth 
degree, which being the greatest'of all, is reserved for kings. 
By this wicked doctrine they get gradually masses from all 
sorts and conditions of people, in proportion to their greatness. 
But as the poor cannot give so many masses as the great, the 
lowest chamber of purgatory is always crowded with reduced 
souls of those unfortunately fortunate people, for they say to 
them, that the providence of God has ordered every thing to 
the ease of his creatures, and that forseeing that the poor peo- 
ple could not afford the same number of masses that the rich 
could, his infinite goodness had placed them in a place of less 
suffering in purgatory. 

But it is a remarkable thing, that many poor, silly trades- 
men's wives, desirous of honor in the next world, ask the friars 



2o8 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

whether the souls of their fathers, mothers, or sisters, can be 
removed from the second apartment (reckoning from the low- 
est) to the third, thinking by it, that though the third degree 
of fire is greater than the second, yet the soul would be better 
pleased in the company of ladies of quality; but the worst is, 
that the friar makes such women believe, that he may do it 
very easily, if they give the same price for a mass the ladies of 
quality give. I knew a shoemaker's wife, very ignorant, proud, 
and full of punctilios of honor, who went to a Franciscan friar, 
and told him that she desired to know whether her own father's 
soul was in purgatory or not, and in what apartment. The 
friar asked her how many masses she could spare for it; she 
said two; and the friar answered, your father's soul is among 
the beggars. Upon hearing this the poor woman began to cry, 
and desired the friar to put him, if possible, in the fourth apart- 
ment, and she would pay him for it; and the quantum being 
settled, the friar promised to place him there next day ; so the 
poor woman gives out ever since that her father was a rich 
merchant, for it was revealed to her, that his soul is among the 
merchants in purgatory. 

Now what can we say, but that the Pope is the chief Gover- 
nor of that vast place, and priests and friars the quarter-mast- 
ers that billet the souls according to their own fancies, and have 
the power, and give for money the king's apartment to the 
soul of a shoemaker, and that of a lady of quality to her wash- 
er-woman. 

But mind, reader, how chaste the friars are in procuring a 
separate place for ladies in purgatory; they suit this doctrine 
to the temper of a people whom they believe to be extremely 
jealous, and really not without ground of them, and so no soul 
of a woman can be placed among men. Many serious people 
are well pleased with this Christian caution ; but those that are 
given to pleasure do not like it at all; and I knew a pleasant 
young collegian, who went to a friar and told him : Father, I 
own I love the fair sex ; and I believe my soul will always retain 
that inclination. I am told that no man's soul can be in com- 
pany with ladies, and it is a dismal thing for me to think, that 
I must go there, (but as for hell, I am in no danger of it, tiianks 




The Eomish View of a Koom in Piirsratory. 



2IO THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

to the Pope,) where I shall never see any more women, which 
will prove the greatest of torments to my soul; so I have re- 
solved to agree with yom* reverence beforehand, upon this 
point. I have a bill of ten pistoles upon Peter la Vinna Ban- 
quer, and if you can assure me, either to send me straight to 
heaven when I die, or to the ladies' apartment in purgatory, 
you shall have the bill ; and if you cannot, I must submit to the 
will of God, like a good Christian. The friar seeing the bill, 
which he thought ready moiieyystold him that he could do either 
of the two, and that he himself might choose which of the two 
places he phrased. But father (said the collegian) the case is, 
that I love Donna Teresa Spinola, but she does not love me, 
and I do not believe that I Can expect any favor from her in this 
world, so I would know whether she is to go before me to pur- 
gatory or not. O ! that is very certain (said the friar). I choose 
then (said the collegian) the ladies apartment, and here is the 
bill, if you give me a certificate under your hand, that the thing 
shall be so; but the friar refusing to give him any authentic 
certificate, the collegian laughed at him, and made satirical 
verses upon him, which were printed, and which I read. I 
knew the friar, too, who being mocked publicly, was obhged to 
remove from his convent to another country. 

THE SOUL APPEARS IIT THE FIGURE OE A MOUSE. 

"When some ignorant people pay for a mass, and are willing 
to know whether the soul for which the mass is said, is, after 
the mass, delivered out of purgatory ; the friar makes them be- 
lieve that the soul will appear in the figure of a mouse within 
the tabernacle of the altar, if it is not out of it, and then it is a 
sign that the soul wants more masses ; and if the mouse does 
not appear, the soul is in heaven. So when the mass is over, 
he goes to the tabernacle backwards, where is a little door with 
a crystal, and lets the people look through it. But, O pitiful 
thing! They see a mouse which the friars keep, (perhaps for 
this purpose) and so the poor sots give more money for more 
masses, till they see the mouse no more. They have a revela- 
tion readv at hand, to say, that such a devout person was told 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 211 

by an angel, that the soul for which the mass is said, was to 
appear in the figure of a mouse in the saurario or tabernacle. 

Many other priests and friars do positively affirm, and we 
see many instances of it forged by them in printed books, that 
when they consecrate the host, the little boy Jesus doth appear 
to them in the host, and that is a sign that the soul is out of 
purgatory. There is a fine picture of St. Anthony de Paula, 
with the host in his hand, and the Httle Jesus is in the host, be- 
cause that divine boy frequently appeared to him when he said 
mass, as the history of his life gives an account. But at the 
same time, they say, that no layman can see the boy Jesus, be- 
cause it is not permitted to any man but to priests to see so 
heavenly a sight ; and by that means they give out what sort of 
stories they please, without any fear of ever being found in a 
lie. 

Let me ask you, now, what history will give us -in defense of 
the doctrine of purgatory through which Rome wrings, from 
superstition, countless millions of money. I have here a letter 
from the late chaplain of the American legation in Rome, who 
has given close attention to the study, and who writes also in 
regard to indulgences. After stating that "the Pope can give 
a living man indulgences of his sins," we have the following 
citations, which are of very great interest: "The doctrine of 
purgatory was declared to be an article of faith in the Roman 
Church, by the Council of Florence, only in the year 1439." 
(That is, up to that time, for 1450 years nearly, either purga- 
tory was undiscovered, or the souls of Catholics and every- 
body else went to it, and nobody knew it ! And are they there 
yet?) 

"In the latter part of the fifteenth century. Pope Alexander 
VI. was the first to declare that indulgences delivered souls 
from purgatory." (In the latter part of the fifteenth century, 
you see!) Cardinal Cajetan, before whom Luther was summon- 
ed, said in a tract on indulgences : "We have no certain knowl- 
edge in regards to the origin of indulgences ; and we possess in 
writing no authority on this subject, nor in Holy Scripture, nor 
in the writings of the ancient fathers, nor of the Greek and 
Latin doctors." Cardinal Fisher, in confutine: Luther, said: 



212 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"As to indulgences, it is uncertain by whom they were insti- 
tuted; and as to purgatory, no mention is made of it by the 
ancients ; so that belief in indulgences and in purgatory has not 
been necessary to the primitive Church." Take away purga- 
tory, and no one will need indulgences, or seek them. Purga- 
tory and indulgences are all a modern invention ; and when you 
come to study and read history, you will find that the Roman 
Catholic dogmatic system cannot stand in the face of history 
for a day or an hour. 

HOW ROME CONDEMNED GALILEO, THE ASTRONOMER. 

The Roman Catholic Church does not merely object to the 
Bible, and to history; but it also objects to science, it objects to 
literature, it objects to every department of knowledge that is 
contrary to its pretensions; and that objection is carried so far, 
that the curse of excommunication is pronounced on any who 
shall dare to have books which they have proscribed, and shall 
presume to study books which they have denounced. You 
will be interested at the citation of one sample of how their 
policy worked in a matter of science and scientific investiga- 
tion. On the fifth day of May, 1616, The Sacred Congrega- 
tion of the Index denounced and forbade the Copernican 
theory that the earth moves round the sun. They denounce it 
as a heresy ; cursed those that taught it, anathematized those 
that printed it, and threatened those that believed it. There 
has been a great deal of wriggling of this act, but truth is 
strong; and when the Roman Catholic Church grapples with 
the truth of history, history is ultimately sure to win in the con- 
flict. Later, in 1620, they denounced Copernicus by name. 
Then they denounced Galileo, and arrested him, and threat- 
ened him, and imprisoned him, and made him affirm that the 
earth did not move around the sun ; and when he said it, he 
muttered under his bixath, ''But it does move." Galileo's 
book appeared in 1632, and was condemned in 1634. That 
edict of the Roman Catholic Church left the Copernican theory 
on the list of forbidden books in the Index Expurgatorius un- 
til 1835, Every man, therefore, who dared, up to 1835, to be- 
lieve that the earth moved round the sun, or dared to teach it 




Koman Catholics Arrest Galileo, the Astronomer, for 
Affirming that the Earth Moved Around the Sun. 



M 



2 14 I^HB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

or print it, or who had a book in his house or in his possession 
which stated it, — every such man was excommunicated and 
damned by the Pope of Rome and The Sacred Congregation. 
Do you propose to take your science from an authority Hke 
that? Yet if in the pubHc schools the movement of the earth 
round the sun had been taught any time before 1835, Roman- 
ists would have objected just as strongly to this Copernican 
theory that the earth moved round the sun as they object to 
Swinton's History; and I suppose that some cowards would 
have let them forbid the book in the public schools. I do not 
believe we are ready to have our text-books assorted by such 
scientists. In 1835, from the Index Expurgatorius, (of which, 
fortunately, I happen to have through the kindness of a friend 
two copies), and without a word of apology, the books on the 
Copernican theory, for the first time in two centuries were 
omitted from the list of forbidden publications. 

"ALL PROTESTANTS ARE DOOMED." 

The following is quoted from page 145 of the ''Full Cate- 
chism of the Catholic Religion," published with the approba- 
tion of Cardinal Wiseman : ''Every one is obliged, under the 
pain of eternal damnation, to become a member of the Catholic 
Church; to believe her doctrines; to use her means of grace; 
and to submit to her authority." And this most bigoted and 
shameful doctrine is taught in all their schools and churches. 
Their teaching everywhere is that out of their church there is 
"no salvation." All Protestants, being "heretics," are doomed, 
they say, to "eternal damnation." Is not this the most abom- 
inable bigotry? 

IMAGE WORSHIP. 

When Romanists are charged with worshipping images, 
saints, the Virgin Mary, &c., and believing that their priests 
can forgive sins ; opposing the reading of the Scriptures ; and 
with other errors, it is not uncommon for them to deny the 
truth of the accusation, and treat it as an unfounded slander. 
We have thought, therefore, that a short but comprehensive 
view of their faith, as epitomized by themselves, and supported 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 215 

by extracts from their standard writings, while it comported 
with the objects of this volume, would prove highly instructive 
and interesting to is readers. 

The following summary, it will be perceived, is in the form 
of an oath. It was set forth by Pope Pius IV., and comprises 
the substance of the decrees of the Council of Trent. Our 
readers will here discover, that one grand difference between 
Protestants and Catholics is, that while the former receive 
the Bible as the only divine rule of faith, the latter acknowl- 
edge the acts of councils, the traditions of the Church, &c., as 
of inspired authority. And as those acts and traditions are 
not unfrequently opposed to the word of God, — yea, are most 
monstrously erroneous and wicked — some may account for 
the fact, that the Romish priesthood, where they have the pow- 
er to prevent it, will not suffer the people to possess or read 
the Bible. It requires nothing under the divine blessing, but a 
universal knowledge of the Holy Scriptures to overthrow every 
fabric of superstition, idolatry, and tyranny. 

OATH TAKEN BY ROMAN CATHOLICS. 

After reciting the Nicene creed, the oath proceeds — 
*'I most firmly admit and embrace the apostolical and eccle- 
siastical traditions, and all other observances and constitutions 
of the same church (i. e., the Romish Church). Also, I admit 
sacred Scripture, according to the sense which has been held 
and is held by HOLY MOTHER CHURCH, to whom it be- 
longs to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the sa- 
cred Scriptures; nor will I ever receive or interpret it (Scrip- 
ture) except according to the unanimous consent of the Fa- 
thers. 

"I also profess that there are truly and properly, seven sac- 
raments of the new law, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and necessary, though not for each singly, yet for the whole 
human race, viz. : Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Pen- 
ance, Extreme Unction, Orders and Matrimony; and that they 
confer grace ; and that, of these, baptism, confirmation and or- 
ders cannot be reiterated without sacrilege. I also receive and 
admit the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church, 



2i6 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

in the solemn administration of all the above mentioned sac- 
raments. 

''I embrace and receive all and each of those things, which, 
in the Holy Council of Trent, have been defined and declared 
concerning original sin and justification. 

''I, in like manner, profess, that in the Mass is offered to 
God a true, proper, and propitiary sacrifice for the living and 
the dead ; and that, in the most holy sacraments of the Euchar- 
ist, there is truly, really and substantially, the BODY AND 
BLOOD, TOGETHER WITH THE SOUL AND DIVIN- 
ITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; and that there is 
made the change of the whole substance of the bread into the 
body, and the whole substance of the wine into the blood, 
which change the Catholic Church calls the Transubstantiation. 
I confess, also, that under each kind alone, the whole and en- 
tire Christ and the true sacrament is taken. 

''I firmly hold that there is a Purgatory, and that the souls 
there detained, are helped by the suffrages of the faithful : — 
Likewise, the Saints reigning together with Christ, are to be 
venerated and invoked, and that they offer prayers to God for 
us ; and that their reliques are to be venerated. I most firmly 
assert that the images of Christ, and of the Mother of God, 
ever virgin; and also of the other saints, are to be held and 
retained, and a due honor and veneration is to be granted 
them. 

"I affirm also, that the power of indulgences was left by 
Christ in his church, and that the use of them is in the highest 
degree salutary to Christian people. 

"I acknowledge the holy Catholic and Apostolic Romish 
Church to be the mother and MISTRESS OF ALL 
CHURCHES; and I promise and swear true obedience to the 
Roman Pontiff, successor of the blessed Peter, Prince of the 
Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Christ. 

''Also, all other things, handed down, defined, and declared 
by the sacred canons and general coimcils, and chiefly by the 
most holy of Trent, I undoubtedly receive and profess, and, at 
the same time, all things contrary, and all heresies whatever 
condemned, rejected, and anathematized, I, in like manner. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. ,217 

condemn, reject, and anathematize. And this true Catholic 
faith, OUT OF WHICH NO ONE CAN HAVE SALVA- 
TION, which at present I voluntarily profess and truly hold, I, 
the said A. B., promise, vow, and swear, that I will hold and 
confess the same entire and inviolate, to the last breath of my 
life, most constantly, God being my helper; and that I will 
take care as far as lies in me, that the same shall be held, 
taught, and preached by my subjects, or by those, the care of 
whom pertains to me by my office. So God help me and these 
holy gospels of God." 

ELEVEN THOUSAND RELICS IN A SINGLE CHURCH. 

Many of the churches are most abundantly supplied with 
relics of a similar character — there is one in Spain, I under- 
stand, which possesses eleven thousand, among which are sev- 
eral of our Saviour; a sacred hair of his most holy head is pre- 
served in a vase — several pieces of his cross — thirteen thorns 
of his crown — and a piece of the manger in which he was born. 
There are many relics also of the Virgin Mary — three or four 
pieces of one of her garments — a relic of the handkerchief with 
which she wiped her eyes at the foot of the cross, &c. 

"WONDERFUL" MIRACLES. 

"I must describe to you, my dear brother, some of the fa- 
mous miracles performed by the saints, images, relics, &c. 
They are really wonderful. No saint, it seems, can be admitted 
into the calendar, whatever may have been the sanctity of his 
life, unless it can be testified that he has wrought miracles. 

''The tales of visions, apparitions, and miracles which are 
kept in circulation, and which are, in fact, necessary to uphold 
such a system of spiritual tyranny as the Popish religion is, 
among a superstitious and ignorant people are so absurd and 
monstrous, it would seem scarcely possible they should gain 
any credence at all. 

SAILED ON THE SEA ON HIS CLOAK. 

''St. Francis Xavier turned a suf^cient quantity of salt water 
into fresh water to save the lives of five hundred travellers, 



2i8 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

who were dying of thirst, enough being left to allow a large 
exportation to different parts of the world, where it performed 
astonishing cures. St. Raymond de Pennafort laid his cloak 
on the sea, and sailed thereon from Majorca to Barcelona, a 
distance of a hundred and sixty miles, in six hours. 

A BOTTLE OF THE BLOOD OE CHRIST. 

''At Mantua, I am told, there may be seen a bottle of the 
real blood of Christ. It was dug up a number of years since 
in a box containing a paper with an account of the circum- 
stances of its deposit. It seems one Longinus, a Roman cen- 
turion, who was present at the crucifixion of Christ, became 
converted and afterwards left Judea for Mantua, carrying with 
him this vial of blood; he buried the sacred relic, and was so 
thoughtful as to enclose in it an envelope, stating all these 
facts. It is very remarkable that the writing, the box, the 
bottle, the blood and all should be perfectly fresh as it was 
when found, after lying in the ground sixteen centuries ! ! ! 

PRIEST TOOK SEVEN DEVILS EROM A MAN. 

''A certain friar had preached a sermon during Lent, upon 
the state of man mentioned in Scripture possessed with seven 
devils, with so much eloquence and unction, that a simple coun- 
tryman who heard him, went home, and became convmced 
that these seven devils had got possession of him. The idea 
haunted his mind, and subjected him to the most dreadful ter- 
rors, till, unable to bear his suffering, he unbosomed himself 
to his ghostly father and asked his counsel. The father, who 
had some smattering of science, bethought himself at last of a 
way to rid the honest man of his devils. He told him it would 
be necessary to combat with the devils singly ; and on the day 
appointed, when the poor man came with a sum of money to 
serve as a bait for the devil — without which, the good father 
had forewarned him, no devil could be dislodged — he bound 
a chain, connected with an electrical machine in an adjoining 
chamber, round his body, lest, as he said, the devil should 
fly away with him — and having warned him that the shock 
would be terrible when the devil went out of him, he left him 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 219 

praying devoutly before an image of the Madonna, and after 
some time gave him a pretty smart shock, at which the poor 
wretch fell insensible on the floor from terror. As soon, how- 
ever, as he had recovered, he protested that he had seen the 
devil fly away out of his mouth, breathing blue flames and 
sulphur, and that he felt himself greatly relieved. Seven elec- 
trical shocks, at due intervals, having extracted seven sums of 
money from him, together with the seven devils, the man was 
cured, and a great miracle performed !" 

SATAKT PLEASED WITH THE WORSHIPPERS OF PICTURES AND 

IMAGES. 

The worship of images is undoubtedly "after the working 
of Satan;" for this arch adversary of God well knows that no 
greater insult could be offered the Almighty than to trample 
under foot his holy law against graven images ; and he well 
knew that to induce man to worship pictures and images un- 
der pretense of worshipping their Maker would most effect- 
ually tend to banish real worship, and spiritual religion from 
the earth. 

THE ORIGIN OF IMAGE WORSHIP. 

In 754 during the pontificate of Stephen II, the Emperor 
Constantine V., who had succeeded his father, Leo III., con- 
vened at a council at Hiera, opposite Constantinople, consist- 
ing of 338 bishops, the largest number that had ever yet as- 
sembled in one general council. This numerous • body of 
bishops, with one voice condemned the use and worship of im- 
ages as a custom borrowed from idolatrous nations, and en- 
tirely contrary to the purer ages of the Church. On the na- 
ture of the heresy they expressed themselves in the following 
language : ''J^sus Christ hath delivered us from idolatry, and 
hath taught us to adore him in spirit and in truth. But the 
devil, not being able to endure the beauty of the Church, hath 
insensibly brought back idolatry, under the appearance of 
Christianity, persuading men to worship the creature and to 
take for God a work to which they gave the name of Jesus 
Christ." This great council also diclared that ''NO IMAGES 
ARE TO BE WORSHIPPED. That to worship them or 



220 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

any other creature, is robbing God of the honor that is due 
to him alone, and relapsing into idolatry." And so say ali 
true Christians, 

It must be borne in mind, just here, that Paul speaks of ''that 
wicked," whose coming is "after, or according to the working 
of Satan," and here is an assembly of 338 bishops of the 
Church, solemnly declaring that "the devil, not being able to 
endure the beauty of the Church, hath insensibly brought back 
idolatry;" clearly proving that the Church of Rome is ''the 
man of sin, the son of perdition, whose coming is after the 
working of Satan." And this will be still more fully proved 
if we state a few facts in regard to an infamous woman, whom 
the historians inform us was the principal agent in establish- 
ing the worship of images throughout the empire. That wo- 
man was the Empress Irene. 

Upon the death of Emperor Constantine V., in the year 775, 
he was succeeded by his son, Leo IV., who adopted the senti- 
ments of his father and grandfather, and imitated their zeal in 
the extirpation of idolatry out of the Christian Church. The 
wife of Leo was this Irene, of whom we have spoken, a woman 
who has rendered her name infamous in the annals of crime. 
In 780, her husband who had opposed her attempts to intro- 
duce the worship of images into the very palace, suddenly died, 
as supposed, in consequence of poison administered by the di- 
rection of his heartless and wicked queen. Her husband be- 
ing dead, her youthful son became emperor by the name of 
Constantine VI. 

Inspired by a desire to occupy the throne herself, she caused 
him to be arrested and his eyes to be put out, to render him in- 
capable of reigning, which, according to the testimony of The- 
ophanes, was done with so much cruelty that he immediately 
expired. Gibbon doubts whether immediate death was the re- 
sult ; but he describes in vivid language the horrid cruelty of 
the unnatural mother. He says : "In the mind of Irene, am- 
bition had stifled every sentiment of humanity and nature, and 
it was decreed in her bloody council that Constantine should be 
rendered incapable of th*throne; as if they meant to execute 
a mortal sentence. The most bigoted orthodoxy had justly 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 221 

execrated the unnatural mother, who may not easily be par- 
alleled in the history of crime." 

Such was the cruel and odious character of this Empress 
Irene, who eventually succeeded in establishing image worship 
throughout the empire, and yet in consequence of this service 
she rendered to idolatry. Popish writers represent her as a pat- 
tern of piety, and even justify the horrible tortures and death 
which she inflicted on her son. The following are the words 
of Cardinal Baronius justifying this cruel and unnatural crime : 
''Snares," says he, "were laid this year for the Emperor Con- 
stantine, by his mother Irene, which he fell into the year fol- 
lowing, and was deprived at the same time of his eyes and of 
his life. An execrable crime, indeed, had she not been prompt- 
ed to it by zeal for justice. On that consideration she even 
deserved to be commended for what she did." ( ! !) Again, 
Baronius says : "As Irene was supposed to have done what she 
did" — that is, tortured and murdered her own son — "for the 
sake of the (Roman Catholic) rehgion, and love of justice, she 
was still thought by men of great sanctity, worthy of praise 
and commendation." This extract from a Popish cardinal, and 
one of the most celebrated writers of that communion, needs 
no comment. Well might Paul say of this system of wicked- 
ness and blasphemy, "Whose coming is after the working of 
Satan." 

In 794 this wicked woman sent word to Pope Adrian in- 
forming him of her intention to convene a council in support 
of image worship, and Adrian in his reply expressed his great 
joy at the prospect of the restoration of the holy images to 
their place in the churches from which they had so long been 
banished. This famous council was assembled at Nice in 787. 
The number of bishops present and taking part in this counci! 
was 350, and the result of their deliberations was, as might 
have been expected, in favor of idolatry. It was decreed — ac- 
cordingly to the Romish historian, Platina — that holy images 
of the cross should be consecrated, and put on the sacred ves- 
sels and vestments, and on w^alls and boards, in private and 
public ways. And especially, that there should be erected 
images of the Lord God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, our blessed 



222 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Lady, the mother of God, of venerable angels and of all the 
saints. And that whosoever should presume to think or teach 
otherwise, or to throw away any painted books, or the figure 
of the cross, or any image or picture, or any genuine relics of 
the martyrs, they should, if bishops or clergymen, be deposed, 
or if monks or laymen, be excommunicated. They then pro- 
nounced anathemas against all who should apply what the 
Scriptures say against idols to the holy images, or call them 
idols, or wilfully communicate with those who rejected and de- 
spised them, adding according to custom, "Long live Constan- 
tine and Irene, his mother — damnation to all heretics — damna- 
tion to the council that roared against venerable images — the 
Holy Trinity hath deposed them." 

GREAT FUN AT CHILDREN'S CONFESSIONS. 

The Catholic Church has in every city, in every parish, in 
every town and village, a Lent preacher; and there is but one 
difference among them, viz. : That some preachers preach 
every day in Lent ; some three sermons a week ; some two, on 
Wednesdays and Sundays, and some only on Sundays, and the 
holy days that happen to fall in Lent. The preacher of the 
parish pitches upon one day of the week, most commonly in 
the middle of Lent, to hear the children's confessions, and 
gives notice to the congregation the Sunday before, that every 
father of a family may send his children, both boys and girls, to 
church on the day appointed, in the afternoon. The mothers 
dress their children the best they can that day, and give them 
the offering money for the expiation of their sins. That af- 
ternoon is a holy day in the parish, not by precept, but by cus- 
tom, for no parishioner, either old or young, man or woman, 
misseth to go and hear the children's confessions. For it is 
reckoned, among them, a greater diversion than a comedy, as 
you may judge by the following account. 

The day appointed, the children repair to church at three of 
the clock, where the preacher is waiting for them with a long 
reed in his hand, and when all are together (sometimes 150 in 
number, and sometimes less,) the reverend father placeth them 
in the circle round himself, and then kneeling down (the chil- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 223 

dren also doing the same), makes the sign of the cross and 
says a short pra}^er. This done, he exorteth the children to 
hide no sin from him, but to tell him all they have committed. 
Then he strikes, with his reed, the child whom he designs to 
confess the first, and asks him the following questions : 

Confessor. How long is it since you last confessed? 

Boy. Father, a whole year, or the last IvCnt. 

Conf. And how many sins have you committed from' that 
time till now? 

Boy. Two dozen. 

Now the confessor asks round about. 

Conf. And you? 

Boy. A thousand and ten. 

Another will say a bag full of small lies, and ten big sins ; and 
so one after another answers, and tells many childish things. 

Conf. But pray, you say that you have committed ten big 
sins, tell me how big? 

Boy. As big as a tree. 

Conf. But tell me the sins. 

Boy. There is one sin I committed, which I dare not tell 
your reverence before all the people ; for somebody here pres- 
ent will kill me, if he heareth me. 

Con. Well, come out of the circle, and tell it me. 

They both go out, and with a loud voice, he tells hiin, that 
such a day he stole a nest of sparrows from a tree of another 
boy's, and that if he knew it, he would kill him. Then both 
come again into the circle, and the father asks other boys and 
girls so many ridiculous questions, and the children answer 
him so many pleasant, innocent things, that the congregation 
laughs all the while. One will say, that his sins are red, another 
that one of his sins is white, one black, and one green, and in 
these trifling questions they spend two hours' time. When 
the congregation is weary of laughing, the confessor gives the 
children a correction, and bids them not to sin any more, for 
a black boy takes along with him the wicked children. Then 
he asks the offering, and after he has got all from them, gives 
them the penance for their sins. To one he says, I give you 
for penance, to eat a sweet cake; to another, not to go to 



224 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

school the day following; to another, to desire his mother to 
buy him a new hat, and such things as these ; and pronouncing 
the words of absolution, he dismisseth the congregation with 
Amen, so be it, every year. 

MARRIED HIS OWN SISTER. 

I was in Lisbon ten years ago, and a Spanish gentleman, 
whose surname was Gonzalez, came to lodge in the same house 
where I was for awhile before; and as we, after supper, were 
talking of the Pope's supremacy and power, he told me that 
he himself was a living witness of the Pope's authority on 
oath; and, asking him how, he gave me the following account. 

"I was born in Granada," said he, "of honest and rich, though 
not noble parents, who gave me the best education they could 
in that city. I was not twenty years of age when my father 
and mother died, both within the space of six months. They 
left me all they had in the world, recommending to me, in 
their testament, to take care of my sister Dorothea, and to pro- 
vide for her. She was the only sister I had, and at that time 
in the eighteenth year of her age. From our youth we had 
tenderly loved one another; and upon her account, quitting my 
studies, I gave myself up to her company. This tender broth- 
erly love produced in my heart at last another sort of love for 
her; and though I never showed her my passion, I was a suf- 
ferer by it. I was ashamed within myself to see that I could 
not master nor overcome this irregular inclination; and per- 
ceiving that the persisting in it would prove the ruin of my 
soul, and my sister's too, I finally resolved to quit the country 
for awhile, to see whether I could dissipate this passion, and 
banish out of my heart this burning and consuming fire ; and 
after having settled my affairs, and put my sister under the 
care of an aunt, I took my leave of her, who, being- surprised 
at this unexpected news, she upon her knees begged me to tell 
the reason that moved me to quit the country; and, after telling 
her that I had no reason, but only a mind and desire to travel 
two or three years, and that I begged of her not to marry any 
person in the world, until my return home, I left her and went 
to Rome. By letters of recommendation, by money, and my 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 225 

careful comportment, I got myself in a little time into the favor 
and house of Cardinal A. I. Two years I spent in his service 
at my own expense, and his kindness to me was so exceedingly 
great, that I was not only his companion, but his favorite and 
confidant. xA.ll this while, I was so raving and in so deep a 
melancholy, that his eminence pressed upon me to tell him the 
reason. I told him that my distemper had no remedy ; but he 
still insisted the more to know my distemper. At last, I told 
him the love I had for my sister, and that it being impossible 
she should be my wife, my distemper had no remedy. To this 
he said nothing, but the day following went to the sacred pal- 
ace, and meeting in the Pope's antechamber Cardinal P. I., he 
asked him whether the Pope could dispense with the natural 
and divine impediment between brother and sister to be mar- 
ried; and, as Cardinal P. I. said that the Pope could not, my 
protector began a loud and bitter dispute with him, alleging 
reasons by which the Pope could do it. The Pope, hearing 
the noise, came out of his chamber, and asked what was the 
matter. He was told it, and flying into an uncommon passion, 
said the Pope may do everything, I do dispense with it, and left 
them with these words. The protector took testimony of the 
Pope's declaration, and went to the notary and drew a publi* 
instrument of the dispensation, and, coming home, gave it to 
me, and said, though I shall be deprived of your good services 
and company, I am very glad that I serve you in this to your 
heart's desire and satisfaction. Take this dispensation, and go 
whenever you please to marry your sister. I left Rome, and 
came home, and after I had rested from the fatigue of so long 
a journey, I went to present the dispensation to the bishop, 
and to get his license; but he told me that he could not re- 
ceive the dispensation, nor give such a license ; I acquainted 
my protector with this, and immediately an excommunication 
was despatched against the bishop, for having disobeyed the 
Pope, and commanding him to pay a thousand pistoles for the 
treasure of the Church, and to marry me himself; so, I was 
married by the bishop, and at this time I have five children by 
my wife and sister." 



226 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

From these accounts, Christian reader, you may judge of 
that Pope's temper and ambition. 

NINE STARTLING CONSEQUENCES OE THE DOGMA OE TRAN- 

SUBSTANTIATION. 

On the day of my ordination to the priesthood, I had to be- 
Heve, with all the priests of Rome, that it was within the lim- 
its of my powers to go into all the bakeries of Quebec, and 
change all the loaves and biscuits in that old city, into the body, 
blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, by pro- 
nouncing over them the five words : HOC EST ENIM COR- 
PUS MEUM. Nothing would have remained of these loaves 
and biscuits but the smell, the color, the taste. 

2. Every bishop and priest of the cities of New York and 
Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Paris and London, etc., firmly be- 
lieves and teaches that he has the power to turn all the loaves 
of their cities, of their dioceses, nay, of the whole world, into 
the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
And, though they have never yet found it advisable to do that 
wonderful miracle, they consider, and say, that to entertain 
any doubt about the power to perform that marvel, is as crim- 
inal as to entertain any doubt about the existence of God. 

3. When in the Seminary of Nicolet, I heard, several times, 
our superior, the Rev. Mr. Riabault, tell us that a French 
priest having been condemned to death in Paris, when dragged 
to the scaffold had, through revenge, consecrated and changed 
into Jesus Christ all the loaves of the bakeries of that great 
city which were along the streets through which he had to pass ; 
and though our learned superior condemned that action in 
strongest terms, yet he told us that the consecration was valid, 
and that the loaves were really changed into the body, blood, 
soul and divinity of the Saviour of the world. And I was 
bound to believe it under pain of eternal damnation. 

4. Before my ordination I had been obliged to learn by heart, 
in one of the most sacred books of the Church of Rome (Mis- 
sale Romanism, p. 63), the following statement : ''If, after the 
consecration, the consecrated bread disappear, taken away by 
the wind, or through any miracle ; or dragged away by an ani- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 227 

mal, let the priest take a new bread, consecrate it, and continue 
his mass." 

And at page 57 I had learned, "If a fly or spider fall into the 
chalice, after the consecration, let the priest take and eat it, if 
he does not feel an insurmountable repugnance ; but if he can- 
not swallow it, let him wash it and burn it and throw the ashes 
into the sacrarium." 

5. In the month of January, 1834, I heard the following fact 
from the Rev. Mr. Paquette, curate of St. Gervais, at a grand 
dinner which he had given to the neighboring priests : 

"When young, I was the vicar of a curate who could eat as 
much as two of us, and drink as much as four. He was tall 
and strong, and he has left the dark marks of his hard fists 
on the nose of more than one of his beloved sheep; for his 
anger was really terrible after he drank his bottle of wine. 

"One day, after a sumptuous dinner, he was called to carry 
the good God (Le Bon Dieu) to a dying man. It was mid- 
winter. The cold was intense. The wind was blowing hard. 
There was at least five or six feet of snow, and the roads were 
almost impassable. It was really a serious matter to travel 
nine miles on such a day, but there was no help. The mes- 
senger was one of the first marguilliers (elders) who was very 
pressing, and the dying man was one of the first citizens of the 
place. The curate, after a few grumblings, drank a tumbler of 
good Jamaica with his marguillier as a preventative against the 
cold, went to church, took the good God (Le Bon Dieu), and 
threw himself into the sleigh, wrapped as well as possible in his 
large buffalo robes. 

"Though there were two horses, one before the other, to 
drag the sleigh, the journey was a long and tedious one, which 
was made still worse by an unlucky circumstance. They were 
met half-way by another traveller coming from the opposite 
direction. The road was too narrow to allow the two 'sleighs 
and horses to remain easily on firm ground when passing by 
each other, and it would have required a good deal of skill and 
patience in driving the horses to prevent them from falling into 
the soft snow. It is well known that when once horses are 




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HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 



229 



sunk into five or six feet of snow, the more they struggle the 
deeper they sink. 

"The marguilHer, who was carrying the 'good god' with the 
cure, naturally hoped to have the privilege of keeping the mid- 
dle of the road and escaping the danger of getting his horses 
wounded, and his sleigh broken. He cried to the other trav- 
eler, in a high tone of authority : 'Traveler ! let me have the 
road. Turn your horses into the snow! Make haste, I am in 
a hurry. I carry the good god !' 

"Unfortunately the traveler was a heretic, who cared much 
more for his horses than for the 'good god.' He answered: 

" *Le Diable emporte ton Bon Dieu avant que je ne casse le 
con de mon cheval !' 'The devil take your god before I con- 
sent to break the neck of my horse. If your god has not taughi 
3'ou the rules of law and of common sense, I will give you a free 
lecture on that matter,' and jumping out of his sleigh, he took 
the reins of the front horse of the marguillier to help to walk 
on the side of the road, and keep the half of it for himself. 

"But the marguillier, who was naturally a very impatient and 
fearless man, had drank too much with my curate, before he 
left the parsonage, to keep cool, as he ought to have done. He 
also jumped out of his sleigh, ran to the stranger, took his cra- 
vat in his left hand and raised his right one to strike him in the 
face. 

"Unfortunately for him, the heretic seemed to have foreseen 
all this. He had left his overcoat in the sleigh and was more 
ready for the conflict than his assailant. He was also a real 
giant in size and strength. As quick as lightning his right and 
left fists fell Hke iron masses on the face of the poor marguil- 
lier, and threw him on his back in the soft snow, where he al- 
most disappeared. 

"Till then the curate had been a silent spectator; but the 
sight and the cries of his friend, whom the stranger was pom- 
melling without mercy, made him lose his patience. Taking 
the little silk bag which contained the 'good god' from about 
his neck, where it was tied, he put it on the seat of the sleigh, 
and said: 'Dear good god! Please remain neutral; J jpj^st 
15 



230 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

help my marguillier ! Take no part in this conflict, and I will 
punish that infamous Protestant as he deserves.' 

"But the unfortunate marguillier was entirely put hors de 
combat before the curate could go to his help. His face was 
horribly cut — three teeth were broken — the lower jaw dislo- 
cated, and the eyes were so terribly damaged that it took sev- 
eral days before he could see an3^thing. 

''When the heretic saw the priest coming to renew the bat- 
tle, he threw down his other coat to be freer in his movements. 
The curate had not been so wise. Relying too much on his 
herculean strength, covered with his heavy overcoat, on which 
was his white surplice, he threw himself on the stranger, like a 
big rock which falls from the mountain and rolls upon the oak 
below. 

"Both of these combatants were real giants, and the first 
blows must have been terrible on both sides. But the 'in- 
famous heretic' probably had not drank so much as my curate 
before leaving home, or perhaps he was more expert in the ex- 
change of these bloody jokes. The battle was long and the 
blood flowed pretty freely on both sides. The cries of the 
combats might have been heard at a long distance, were it not 
for the roaring of the wind, which at that instant was blowing 
a hurricane. 

"The storm, the cries, the blows, the blood, the surplice and 
the overcoat of the priest torn to rags, the shirt of the stranger 
reddened with gore, made such a terrible spectacle, that in the 
end the horses of the marguillier, though well-trained animals, 
took fright and threw themselves into the snow, turned their 
backs to the storm and made for home. They dragged the 
fragments of the upset sleigh a pretty long distance, and ar- 
rived at the door of their stable with only some diminutive 
parts of the harness. 

"The 'good god' had evidently heard the prayer of my 
curate, and he had remained neutral ; at all events he had taken 
the part of his priest, for he lost the day, and the infamous 
Protestant remained master of the battlefield. 

"The curate had to help his marguillier out of the snow in 
vvliich he was buried, and where he had lain like a slaughtered 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 



231 



ox. Both had to walk, or rather crawl, nearly a half a mile in 
snow to their knees, before they could reach the nearest farm- 
house, where they arrived when it was dark. 

''But the worst is not told. You remember when my curate 
had put the box containing the 'good god' on the seat of the 
f-leigh, before going to fight. The horses had dragged the 
srleigh a certain distance, upset and smashed it. The little silk 
bag, with the silver box and precious contents, was lost in the 
snow, and though several hundred people had looked for it, 
several days at different times, it could not be found. It was 
only late in the month of June, that a little boy, seeing some 
rags in the mud of the ditch along the highway, lifted them 
and a little silver box fell out. Suspecting that it was what the 
people had looked for so many days during the last winter, he 
took it to the parsonage. 

"I was there when it was opened ; we had the hope that the 
'good god' would be found pretty intact, but we were doomed 
to be disappointed. The good god was entirely melted away. 
Le Bon Dieu etait fondu !" 

During the recital of that spicy story, which was told in the 
most amusing and comical way, the priests had drunk freely 
and laughed heartily. But when the conclusion came: "Le 
Bon Dieu etait fondu!" The good god was melted away!" 
There was a burst of laughter such as I never heard — the priests 
striking the floor with their feet, and the table with their hands, 
filled the house with the cries, "The good god melted away!" 

"The good god melted away!" 

"Le Bon Dieu est fondu !" "Le Bon Dieu est fondu !" Yes, 
the god of Rome, dragged away by a drunken priest, and real- 
ly melted away in the muddy ditch. This glorious fact was pro- 
claimed by his own priests in the midst of convulsive laughter, 
and at the tables covered with scores of bottles just emptied 
by them! 

6. About the middle of March, 1839, I had one of the most 
unfortunate days of my Roman Catholic priestly life. At 
about two o'clock in the afternoon, a poor Irishman had come 
in haste from beyond the high mountains, between Lake Beau- 
port and the river Morency, to ask me to go to anoint a dying 



232 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

woman. It took me about ten minutes to run to the church, 
put the ''good god" in the little silver box, shut the whole in 
my vest pocket and jump into the Irishman's rough sleigh. 
The roads were exceedingly bad, and we had to go very slowly. 
At 7 p. m. we were yet more than three miles from the sick 
woman's house. It was very dark, and the horse was so ex- 
hausted that it was impossible to go any further through the 
gloomy forest. I determined to pass the night at a poor Irish 
cabin which was near the road. I knocked at the door, asked 
hospitality, and was welcomed with that warm-hearted demon- 
stration of respect which the Roman Catholic Irishman knows, 
better than any other man, how to pay to his priests. 

The shanty, twenty-four feet long by sixteen wide, was built 
with round logs, between which a liberal suppty of clay instead 
of mortar had been thrown, to prevent the wind and cold from 
entering. Six fat, though not absolutely well-washed, healthy 
boys and girls, half-naked, presented themselves around their 
good parents as the living witnesses that this cabin, in spite 
of its ugly appearance, was really a happy home for its dwellers. 

Besides the eight human beings sheltered beneath that hos- 
pitable roof, I saw, at one end, a magnificent cow with her 
newborn calf, and two fine pigs. These two last boarders 
were separated from the rest of the family only by a branch 
partition two or three feet high. 

"Please, your reverence," said the good woman, after she 
had prepared our supper, "excuse our poverty, but be sure 
that we feel happy and much honored to have you in our hum- 
ble dwelling for the night. My only regret is that we have only 
potatoes, milk and butter to give you for your supper. In 
these back woods, tea, sugar and wheat flour are unknown lux- 
uries." 

I thanked that good woman for her hospitality, and caused 
her to rejoice not a little by assuring her that good potatoes, 
fresh butter and milk were the best delicacies which could be 
offered to me in any place. I sat at the table and ate one of 
the most delicious suppers of my life. The potatoes were ex- 
i:pedingly well-cooked, the bu^^^r- cream and milk of the best 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 233 

quality, and my appetite was not a little sharpened by the long 
journey over the steep mountains. 

I had not told these good people, nor even my driver, that I 
had "Le Bon Dieu," the good god, with me in my vest pocket. 
It would have made them too uneasy, and would have added 
too much to my other difficulties. When the time of sleeping 
arrived, I went to bed with all my clothing and slept well ; for 
I was very tired by the tedious and broken roads from Beau- 
port to these distant mountains. 

Next morning, before breakfast and the dawn of day, I was 
up, and as soon as we had a glimpse of light to see our way, I 
left for the house of the sick woman, after offering a silent 
prayer. 

I had not traveled a quarter of a mile when I put my hand 
into my vest pocket, and to my indescribable dismay, I found 
that the little silver box containing the ''good god" was miss- 
ing. A cold sweat ran through my frame. I told my driver to 
stop and turn back immediately, that I had lost something 
which might be found in the bed where I had slept. It did not 
take five minutes to retrace our way. . - 

On opening the door I found the poor woman and her hus- 
band almost beside themselves, and distressed beyond measure. 
They were pale and trembling as criminals who expected to be 
condemned. 

"Did you not find a little silver box after I left?" I said. 

"O, my God!" answered the desolate woman, "Yes, I have 
found it, but would to God I had never seen it. There it is." 

"But why do you regret finding it, when I am too happy to 
find it here safe in your hands?" I replied. 

"Ah ! your reverence, you do not know what a terrible mis- 
fortune has just happened to me not more than a half a minute 
before you knocked at the door." 

"What misfortune can have fallen upon you in so short a 
time," I asked. 

"Well, please your reverence, open the little box and you 
will understand me." 

I opened it, but the "good god" was not in it ! ! Looking into 



234 ^^^ DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

the face of the poor distressed woman, I asked her, "What does 
this mean? It is empty!" 

"It means," answered she, "that I am the most unfortunate 
of women ! Not more than five minutes after you had left the 
house, I went to your bed and found that Httle box. Not 
knowing what it was, I showed it to my children and to my 
husband. I asked him to open it, but he refused to do it. I 
then turned it on every side, trying to guess what it could con- 
tain; till the devil tempted me so much that I determined to 
open it. I came to this corner, where this pale lamp is used to 
remain on that little shelf, and I opened it. But, O, my God, 
I do not dare to tell the rest." 

At these words she fell on the floor in a fit of nervous ex- 
citement — her cries were piercing, her mouth was foaming. 
She was cruelly tearing her hair with her own hands. The 
shrieks and lamentations of the children were so distressing 
that I could hardly prevent myself from crying also. 

After a few moments of the most agonizing anxiety, seeing 
that the poor woman was becoming calm, I addressed myself to 
the husband, and said : "Please give me the explanation of 
these strange things?" 

He could hardly speak at first, but as I was very pressing, 
he told me with a trembling voice : "Please your reverence ; 
look into that vessel that the children use, and you will perhaps 
understand our desolation ! When my wife opened the little 
silver box, she did not observe the vessel was there, just be- 
neath her hands. In opening, what was in the silver box fell 
into the vase and sank ! We were all filled with consternation 
when you knocked at the door and entered." 

I felt struck with such an unspeakable horror at the thought 
that the body, blood, soul and divinity of my Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, was there, sunk into that vase, that I remained speech- 
less, and for a long time did not know what to do. At first 
it came to my mind to plunge my hands into the vase and try 
to get my Saviour out of that sepulchre of ignominy. But I 
could not muster courage to do so. 

At last I requested the poor desolate family to dig a hole 
three feet deep in the ground, and deposit it, with its contents, 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 235 

and I left the house, after I had forbidden them from ever say- 
ing a word about that awful calamity. 

7. In one of the most sacred books of the laws and regula- 
tions of the Church of Rome (Missale Romanism) we read, 
page 58, "If the priest after the communion vomit, and that 
in the vomited matter the consecrated bread appears, let him 
swallow what he has vomited. But if he feels too much repug- 
nance to swallow it, let him separate the body of Christ (the 
consecrated bread) from the vomited matter, till it be entirely 
corrupted, and then throw it into the sacrarium. 

8. When a priest of Rome, I was bound, with all the Roman 
Catholics, to believe that Christ had taken His own body, with 
his own hand to His mouth ! and that he had eaten Himself, 
not in a spiritual, but in a substantial, material way ! After eat- 
ing himself, he had given himself to each one of his apostles, 
who then ate him also ! ! 

9. Before closing this chapter, let the reader allow me to ask 
him, if the world in its darkest ages of paganism has ever wit- 
nessed such a system of idolatry, so debasing, impious, ridicu- 
lous and diabolical in its consequences as the Church of Rome 
teaches in the dogma of transubstantiation ! 

When, with the light of the gospel in hand, the Christian 
goes into those horrible recesses of superstition, folly and im- 
piety, he can hardly believe what his eyes see and his ears hear. 
It seems impossible that men can consent to worship a god 
whom the rats can eat ! ! A god who can be dragged away 
and lost in a muddy ditch by a drunken priest ! A god who 
can be eaten, vomited, and eaten again by those who are cour- 
ageous enough to eat again what they have vomited ! ! 

The religion of Rome is not a religion ; it is the mockery, 
the destruction, the ignominious caricature of religion. The 
Church of Rome, as a public fact, is nothing but accomplish- 
ment of the awful prophecy: ''Because they receive not the 
love of the truth that they might be saved, God shall send them 
strong delusions that they might believe a lie." (2 Thess., 2: 

lO-II.) 



236 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

A PRIEST TELLS HOW ROMISH MIRACLES ARE WROUGHT. 

A Roman Catholic priest who was a relative to Father Chin- 
iquy, at that time also a priest, once said to him : 

''My dear cousin, you are the first one to whom I speak in 
this way. I do it because, first : I consider you a man of in- 
telHgence, and hope you will understand me. Secondly: Be- 
cause you are my cousin. Were you one of those idiotic 
priests, real block heads, who form the clergy of to-day; or, 
were you a stranger to me, I would let you go your way, and 
believe in those ridiculous, degrading superstitions of our poor 
ignorant and blind people, but I know you from your infancy, 
and I have known your father, who was one of my dearest 
friends ; the blood which flows in your veins, pass-es thousands 
of times every day through my heart. You are very young and 
I very old. It is a duty of honor and conscience in me to re- 
veal to you a thing which I have thought better to keep till 
now, a secret between God and myself. I have been here more 
than thirty years, and though our country is constantly filled 
with the noise of the great and small miracles wrought in my 
church, every day, I am ready to swear before God, and to 
prove to any man of common sense, that not a single miracle 
has been wrought in my church since I have come here. Every 
one of the facts given to the Canadian people as miraculous 
cures, are sheer impositions, deceptions, the work of either 
fools, or the work of skilful impostors and hypocrites, whether 
priests or layman. Believe me, my dear cousin, I have studied 
carefully the history of all those crutches. Ninety-nine out of 
a hundred have been left by poor, lazy beggars, who, at first, 
thought with good reason that, by walking from door to door 
with one or two crutches, they would create more sympathy 
and bring more into their purses ; for how many will indignant- 
ly turn out of doors a lazy, strong and healthful beggar, who 
will feel great compassion, and give largely to a man who is 
crippled, unable to work, and forced to drag himself painfully 
on crutches? Those crutches are, then, passports from door 
to door. They are the very keys to open both the hearts and 
purses. But the day comes when that beggar has bought a 
pretty good farm with his stolen alms; or when he is really 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 237 

tired, disgusted with his crutches and wants to get rid of them ! 
How can he do that without compromising himself? 

''By a miracle! Then he will sometimes travel again hun- 
dreds of miles from door to door, begging as usual, but this 
time he asks the prayers of the whole family, saying, 'I am 
going to the 'good St. Anne du Nord' to ask her to cure my 
leg (or legs). I hope she will cure me, as she has cured so 
many others ; I have great confidence in her power !" 

"Each one gives twice, nay, ten times as much as before to 
the poor cripple, making him promise that if he is cured, he 
will come back and show himself, that they may bless the good 
St. Anne with him. When he arrives here, he gives me some- 
times one, sometimes five dollars, to say mass for him. I take 
the money, for I would be a fool to refuse it when I know that 
his purse has been so well filled. During the celebration of 
" mass, when he receives the communion, I hear generally, a 
great noise, cries of joy. A miracle ! A miracle ! ! The 
crutches are thrown on the floor, and the cripple walks as well 
as you or I ! And the last act of that religious comedy is the 
most lucrative one, for he fulfils his promise of stopping at 
every house he has ever been seen with his crutches. He nar- 
rates how he was miraculously cured, how his feet and legs be- 
came suddenly all right. Tears of joy and admiration flow from 
every eye. The last cent of that family is generally given to 
the imposter, who soon grows rich at the expense of his dupes. 
This is the plain, but true story, of ninety-nine out of every 
hundred of the cures wrought in my church. The hundredth 
is upon people as honest, but pardon me the expression, as 
blind and superstitious as you are; they are really cured, for 
they were really sick. But their cures are the natural efifects 
of the great efforts of the will. It is the result of a happy com- 
bination of natural causes which work together on the frame, 
and kill the pain, expell the disease and restore to health, just 
as I was cured of a most horrible toothache, some years ago. 
In the paroxysm, I went to the dentist and requested him to 
extract the affected tooth. Hardly had his knife and other sur- 
gical instruments come before my eyes than the pain disap- 
peared. I quietly took my hat and left, bidding a hearty 'good- 



238 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

by' to the dentist who laughed at me every time we met to his 
heart's content. 

''One of the weakest points of our rehgion is in the ridicu- 
lous, I venture to say, diabolical miracles, performed and be- 
lieved every day among us, with the so-called relics and bones 
of the saints. 

"But, don't you know that, for the most part, these relics 
are nothing but chickens' or sheeps' bones. And what would 
you say, were I to tell you of what I know of the daily miracu- 
lous impostures of the scapulars, holy water, chaplets and met- 
als of every kind. Were I a Pope, I would throw all these 
mummeries, which come from paganism, to the bottom of the 
sea, and would present to the eyes of the sinners nothing but 
Christ and Him crucified as the object of their faith, invoca- 
tion and hope, for this life and the next, just as the Apostle^ 
Paul, Peter and James do in their Epistles." 

THE GOD OF ROME ElATEN BY A RAT. 

Has God given us ears to hear, eyes to see, and intelligence 
to understand? The Pope says, no ! But the Son of God says, 
yes. One of the most severe rebukes of our Saviour to His 
disciples, was for their not paying sufificient attention to what 
their eyes had seen, their ears heard, and their intelligence per- 
ceived. "Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye 
your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not, havmg 
ears, hear ye not? and do not ye remember?" — (Mark viii: 

17, 18.) 

This solemn appeal of our Saviour to our common sense is 
the most complete demolition of the whole fabric of Rome. 
The day that a man ceases to believe that God would give us 
our senses and our intelligence to ruin and deceive us, but that 
they were given to guide us, he is lost to the Church of Rome. 
The Pope knows it ; hence the innumerable encyclicals, laws, 
and regulations by which the Roman Catholics are warned not 
to trust the testimony of their ears, eyes, or intelligence. 

"Shut your eyes," says the Pope to his priests and people; 
"I will keep mine open, and I will see for you. Shut your ears, 
for it is most dangerous for you to hear what is said in the 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 239 

world. I will keep my ears opened, and will tell you what you 
must know. Remember' that to trust your own intelligence, in 
the research of truth, and the knowledge of the Word of God, 
is sure perdition. If you want to know anything, come to me : 
I am the only sure infallible fountain of truth," saith the Pope. 

And this stupendous imposture is accepted by the people 
and the priests of Rome with a mysterious facility, and retained 
with a most desolating tenacity. 

It is to them what the iron ring is to the nose of the ox, when 
a rope is once tied to it. The poor animal loses its self-control. 
Its natural strength and energies will avail it nothing; it must 
go left or right at the will of the one who holds the end of the 
rope. 

Father Chiniquy says : ''Reader, please have no contempt 
for the unfortunate priests and people of Rome, but pity them, 
when you see them walking in the w^ay into which intelligent 
beings ought not to take a step. They cannot help it. The 
ring of the ox is at their nose, and the Pope holds the end of 
the rope. Had it not been for that ring, I would not have been 
long at the feet of the w^afer god of the Pope. Let me tell you 
of one of the shining rays of truth, which were evidently sent 
by our merciful God, with a mighty power, to open my eyes. 
But I could not follow it ; the iron ring was at my nose ; and 
the Pope was holding the end of the rope. 

This was after I had been put at the head of the magnificent 
parish of Beauport, in the spring of 1840. There was living at 
'Xa jeune Lorette," an old retired priest, who was blind. He 
was born in France, where he had been condemned to death, 
under the Reign of Terror. Escaped from the guillotine, he 
had fled to Canada, where the bishop of Quebec had put him 
in the elevated post of Chaplain of the Ursuline Nunnery. He 
had a fine voice, w^as a good musician, and had some preten- 
sions to the title of poet. Having composed a good number of 
church hymns, he had been called "Pere Cantique," but his real 
name was 'Tere Daule." His faith and piety were of the most 
exalted character among the Roman Catholics ; though these 
did not prevent him from being one of the most amiable and 
jovial men I ever saw. But his blue eyes, sweet as the eyes of 



240 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

the dove ; his fine yellow hair, falling on his shoulders as a gold- 
en fleece; his white, rosy cheeks, and his constantly smiHng 
lips, had been too much for the tender hearts of the good nuns. 
It was not a secret that 'Tere Cantique," when young, had 
made several interesting conquests in a monastery. There was 
no wonder at that. Indeed, how could that young and inex- 
perienced butterfly escape damaging his golden wings, at the 
numberless burning lamps of the fair virgins? But the mantle 
of charity had been put on the wounds which the old warrior 
had received on that formidable battlefield, from which even 
the Davids, Samsons, Solomons, and many others, had escaped 
only after being mortally wounded. 

To help the poor, blind priest, the curates around Quebec 
used to keep him by turn in their parsonages, and give him the 
care and marks of respect due to his old age. After the Rev. 
Mr. Roy, curate of Charlesbourg, had kept him for five or six 
weeks, I had him taken to my parsonage. It was in the month 
of May — a month entirely consecrated to the Virgin Mary, to 
whom Father Daule was a most devoted priest.. His zeal was 
really inexhaustible, when trying to prove to us how Mary was 
the surest foundation of the hope and salvation of sinners; 
how she was constantly appeasing the just wrath of her son 
Jesus, who, were it not for his love and respect to her, would 
have, long since, crushed us down. 

The Councils of Rome have forbidden their blind priests to 
say their mass ; but on account of high piety, he had got from 
the Pope the privilege of celebrating the short mass of the Vir- 
gin, which he knew perfectly by heart. One morning, when 
the old priest was at the altar, saying the mass, and I was in 
the vestry, hearing the confessions of the people, the young 
servant boy came to me in ha:ste, and said, ''Father Daule calls 
you ; please come quick." 

Fearing something wrong had happened to my old friend, I 
lost no time, and ran to him. I found him nervously tapping 
the altar with his two hands, as in an anxious search for some 
very precious thing. When very near to him, I said: "What 
do you want?" He answered with- a shriek of distress: "The 
good god has disappeared from the altar. He is lost! (J' ai 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 241 

perdu le Bo'n Dieu. II est disparu de dessus V autel !") Hoping 
that he was mistaken, and that he had only thrown away the 
good god, 'Xe Bon Dieu," on the floor, by some accident, I 
looked on the altar, at his feet, everywhere I could suspect that 
the good god might have been removed away by some mistake 
of the hand. But the most minute search was of no avail; the 
good god could not be found. I really felt stunned. At first, 
remembering the thousand miracles I had read of the disap- 
pearance and marvelous changes of form of the wafer god, it 
came to my mind that we were in the presence of some great 
miracle ; and that my eyes were to see some of these great mar- 
vels of which the books of the Church of Rome are filled. But 
I had soon to change my mind, when a thought flashed 
through my memory, which chilled the blood in my veins. The 
church of Beauport was inhabited by a multitude of the bold- 
est and most insolent rats I have even seen. Many times, when 
saying my mass, I had seen the ugly nose of several of them, 
who, undoubtedly attracted by the smell of the fresh wafer, 
wanted to make their breakfast with the body, blood, soul and 
divinity of my Christ. But, as I was constantly in motion, or 
praying with a loud voice, the rats had invariably been fright- 
ened and fled away into their secret quarters. I felt terror- 
stricken at the thought that the good god (Le Bon Dieu) had 
been taken away and eaten by the rats. 

Father Daule so sincerely believed what all the priests of 
Rome are bound to believe, that he had the power to turn the 
wafer into God, that after he had pronounced the words by 
which the great marvel was wrought, he used to pass from five 
to fifteen minutes in silent adoration. He was then as motion- 
less as a marble statue, and his feelings were so strong that 
often torrents of tears use to flow from his eyes on his cheeks. 
Leaning my head towards the distressed old priest, I asked 
him : "Have you not remained, as you are used, a long time 
motionless, in adoring the good god, after the consecration?" 

He quickly answered, 'Tes, but what has this to do with the 
loss of the good god ?" 



242 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

I replied in a low voice, but with a real accent of distress and 
awe, ''Some rats have dragged and eaten the good god !" 

''What do you say?" replied Father Daule. "The good god 
carried away and eaten by rats?" 

"Yes," I replied, "I have not the least doubt about it." 

"My God ! my God ! what a dreadful calamity upon me !" re- 
joined the old man; and raising his hands and his eyes to 
heaven, he cried out again, "My God ! my God ! Why have you 
not taken away my life before such a misfortune could fall upon 
me !" He could not speak any longer; his voice was choked by 
his sobs. 

At first, I did not know what to say; a thousand thoughts, 
some very grave, some exceedingly ludicrous, crossed my mind 
more rapidly than I can say them. I stood there, as nailed to 
the floor, by the old priest, who was weeping as a child, till he 
asked me, with a voice broken by his sobs, "What must I do 
now?" I answered him: "The Church has foreseen occur- 
rences of that kind, and provided for them the remedy. The 
only thing you have to do is to get a new wafer, consecrate it, 
and continue your mass as if nothing strange had occurred. I 
will go and get you, just now, new bread." I went, without 
losing a moment, to the vestry ; got and brought a new wafer, 
which he consecrated and turned into a new god, and finished 
his mass, as I had told him. After it was over, I took the dis- 
consolate old priest by the hand to my parsonage for break- 
fast. But all along the way he rent the air with his cries of 
distress. He would hardly taste anything, for his soul was 
drowned in a sea of trouble. I vainly tried to calm his feelings, 
by telling him that it was no fault of his ; that this strange and 
sad occurrence was not the first of that kind ; that it had been 
calmly forseen by the Church which had told us what to do in 
these circumstances; that there was no neglect, no fault, no 
offense against God or man on his part. 

But as he would not pay the least attention to what I said, I 
felt the only thing I had to do was to remain silent and respect 
his grief, by letting him unburden his heart by his lamentations 
and tears. 

I had hoped that his good common sense would help hirn to 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 243 

overcome his feelings, but I was mistaken ; his lamentations 
were as long as those of Jeremiah, and the expressions of his 
grief as bitter. 

At last I lost patience, and said: ''My dear Father Daule, 
allow me to tell you respectfully that it is quite time to stop 
these lamentations and tears. Our great and just God cannot 
like such an excess of sorrow and regret about a thing which 
was only, and entirely, under the control of His power and 
eternal wisdom." 

"What do you say there?" replied the old priest, with a vi- 
vacity which resembled anger. 

''I said that, as it was not in your power to foresee or to 
avoid that occurrence, you have not the least reason to act 
and speak as you did. Let us keep our regrets and our tears 
for our sins ; w^e cannot shed too many tears on them. But 
there is no sin here, and there must be some reasonable limit 
to our sorrow. If anybody had to weep and regret w^ithout 
measure what has happened, it would be Christ. For he alone 
could foresee that event, and he alone could prevent it. Had it 
been his \yill to oppose this sad. and mysterious act, it was in 
his, not in our power to prevent it. He alone has suffered from 
it, because it was his will to suffer it." 

''Mr. Chiniquy," he replied, ''you are quite a young man, and 
I see you have the want of attention and experience which are 
often seen among young priests. You do not pay a sufficient 
attention to the awful calamity which has just occurred in your 
church. If you had more faith and piety you would weep with 
me instead of laughing at my grief. How can you speak so 
lightly of a thing which makes the angels of God weep? Our 
dear Saviour dragged and eaten by rats ! Oh ! great God ! does 
not this surpass the humiliation and horrors of Calvary?" 

"My dear Father Daule," I replied, "allow me respectfully 
to tell you that I understand, as well as you do, the nature of 
the deplorable event of this morning. I would have given my 
blood to prevent it. But let us look at that fact in its proper 
light. It is not a moral action for us ; it did not depend on our 
will more than the spots of the sun. The only one who is ac- 
countable for that fact is our God ! For, again, I say, that He 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 245 

was the only one who could foresee and prevent it. And, to 
give you plainly my own mind, I tell you here that if I were God 
Almighty, and a miserable rat would come to eat me, I would 
strike him dead before he could touch me," 

There is no need of confessing it here ; every one who reads 
these pages, and pays attention to this conversation, will un- 
derstand that my former robust faith in my priestly power of 
changing the wafer into my God had melted away and evapor- 
ated from my mind, if not entirely, at least to a greater extent. 

Great and new lights had flashed through my soul in that 
hour. Evidently my God wanted to open my eyes to the awful 
absurdities and impieties of a religion whose God could be 
dragged and eaten by rats. Had I been faithful to the saving 
lights which were in me then, I was saved in that very hour; 
and before the end of that day I would have broken the shame- 
ful chains by which the Pope had tied my neck to his Idol of 
bread. In that hour it seemed to me evident that the dogma 
of transubstantiation was a most monstrous imposture, and my 
priesthood an insult to God and man. 

My intelligence said to me with a thundering voice : "Do 
not remain any longer the priest of a God whom 3''ou make 
every day, and whom the rats can eat." 

ROMANISM FEARS CHRISTIAN SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. 

They tell us that our Sunday schools are "little better than 
a sham, a delusion and a mockery." And in the face of this, I 
assert that our Sunday School System is the mightiest force of 
Protestantism to-day. Think of it. There are thirty thousand 
Sunday schools in this land under the patronage, protection 
and guidance of th'e Methodist Episcopal Church ; thirty thou- 
sand and more under the patronage and fostering care of our 
brethren the Baptists; almost as many under the care of the 
Presbyterians, And so I migjit go on through all denomina- 
tions- Think of it, beloved ! This mighty army of Sunday 
school children, under the religious instruction of godly men 
and women, who give their time without money and without 
price, two or three hours on the Sabbath Day. Beloved Sun- 
16 



246 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

day school teachers, go on with this work, that Father Gleason 
calls a ''sham, a delusion and a mockery," and we will be able 
to bid defiance to the armies of the aliens. 

WOE UNTO HERETICS (PROTESTANTS). 

"Heretics, and the receivers and favourers of them, are ex- 
communicated, and dying in their sin shall not be buried in the 
graveyard." — Council of Lateran, Pages 96, loi, 193. 371. 

''The property of heretics shall be confiscated, and be ap- 
plied to the use of the Church." — Pope Innocent III., Pages 
89, no. 

"Advocates or notaries favouring heretics or their defend- 
ers, or defending their causes, or writing for them legal instru- 
ments, shall be accounted infamous, and be suspended from 
their function." — Pope Innocent III., Page 99 

"All heretics of every name are excommunicated." — Coun- 
cil of Lvateran, Page loi. 

"They who are bound to heretics are released from every 
obligation." — Pope Gregory IX., Pages 103, 166. 

"They who bury persons knowing them to be excommuni- 
cated, or their receivers, defenders, or favourers, shall not be 
absolved unless they dig up the corpse ; and the place shall be 
deprived of the usual immunities of the sepulchre." — Pope Al- 
exander IV., Page 104. 

"Inquisitors must discard all fear, and interpidly proceed 
against heretical gravity." — Pope Clement IV., Page 136. 

"He is a heretic who deviates from any article of faith." — 
Page 146. 

"A heretic possesses nothing alive or dead." — "No fellow- 
ship should be maintained with the excommunicated." — Pages 
146, 147. 

"He is a heretic who does not believe what the Roman 
Hierarchy teaches. — A heretic merits the pain of fire. — By the 
Gospel, the canons, civil law, and custom, heretics must be 
burned." — 148, 168. 

"The property of heretics after their death shall be seized. 
— No part of that property shall be given to their heirs except 
for the sake of mercy." — Pages 151, 172. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 247 

''All defence is denied to heretics." — Page 153. 

"For the suspicion alone of heresy, purgation is demanded." 
— Page 156. 

''Heretics are by right condemned." — Page 157. 

"Wars may be commenced by the authority of the Church. 
— Indulgences for the remission of all sin belong to those who 
are signed with the cross for the persecution of heretics." — - 
Page 160. 

"All diligence must be used to extirpate heretics." — Page 
164. ; 

"The Pope can enact new articles of faith. — The definitions 
of Popes and Councils are to be received as infaUible." — Page 
168. 

"No person shall favour heretics." — Page 173. 

"Positive laws bind not the Pope." — Page 174. 

"Every individual may kill a heretic." — Page 175. 

"All persons may attack rebels to the Church and despoil 
them of their wealth ; and slay them, and burn their houses and 
cities." — Pages 176, 177. Text and Glossa. 

"Persons who betray heretics shall be rewarded. — But 
priests who give the sacrament or burial to heretics shall be 
excommunicated. — Page 178. 

"Prelates are called watchmen because they persecute her- 
etics. — They who favour their relatives who are heretics, shall 
not receive for that cause any milder punishment." — Page 180. 

"Heretics may be forced to profess the Roman faith." — 
Page 193. 

"The crime of heresy is not extinguished by death." — Page 
196. 

"The testimony of a heretic is admitted on behalf of a Papist, 
but not against him." — Page 198. 

"A whole city must be burnt on account of the heretics who 
live in it. — Whoever pleases may seize and kill an)^ heretics." 
— Page 199. 

"A person who is suspected of heresy, unless he purge him- 
self shall be esteemed a heretic. — If he thus be excommunicat- 
ed during one year, he shall then be condemned as a heretic." 
— Page 200. 



248 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"A person contracting marriage with a heretic shall be pun- 
ished, because it is favouring a heretic." — Page 210. 

"Heretics must be sought after, and be corrected or exter- 
minated. — Heretics enjoy no privileges in law or equity." — 
Page 212. 

"The goods of heretics are to be considered as confiscated 
from the perpetration of the crime. — All alienations of pro- 
perty by heretics before their condemnation are invahd. — In- 
quisitors are not bound to restore the price of the property 
which is seized in the hands of those who purchased from her- 
etics." — Page 213. 

"Prelates or Inquisitors may torture witnesses to obtain the 
truth." — Page 218. 

"Those who are strongly suspected are to be reputed as her- 
etics." — Page 376. 

"He who does not inform against heretics shall be deemed as 
suspected. — He who contracts marriage twice shall be suspect- 
ed of heresy. — He who marries a person unbaptized, and de- 
serts to marry a baptized woman, is not guilty of bigamy. — 
The priest who solicits a woman to sin at confession shall be 
judged as suspected of heresy." — Page 383. 

Papists aver that Protestants are "Heretics accursed," who 
ought to be burnt in this world, as the guarantee of their ever- 
lasting abode, "where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched" — and Protestants declare that Papists are Idolaters, 
and "the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruc- 
tion;" and that the honor of God, the glory of the redeemer, 
the prosperity of the Church, and the salvation of souls, with 
the conversion of the world, are indissolubly connected with 
the extermination of Popery. Protestants and Papists, there- 
fore, are not only utterly irreconcilable, but an energetic and 
sleepless strife must ever exist among them, until one of the 
contending parties is extinguished. Either Papists will be con- 
verted and submit to the sceptre of Immanuel, or Protestants 
will be silenced by the Romish Crusaders, or by the fire of the 
Dominican Inquisitors with which they glut "the Woman 
drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the 
martyrs of Jesus." 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 249 

A CHURCH DRUNK WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS. 

There are some passages of Scripture which describe Rome, 
in Revelation. Here she is in her glory. "And the woman was 
arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and 
precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand 
full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication ; and upon 
her forehead was a name written : Mystery, Babylon the Great, 
the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." This is 
the Church whose cardinals flame is red. This is the Church 
drunk with the blood of saints. 

ROMISH TRINKETS IN PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS. 

Here is another illustration of parochial school instruction: 
In reference to the virtues of St. Dominic's metal (a trinket 
that you can purchase for five or ten cents in any Roman 
Catholic book store,) the Roman Catholic children are taught : 
That it draws from the body every diabolical work, and where 
it is placed the infernal enemy cannot approach; that it is a 
preventative and antidote, against every poison, against 
plagues, against thunder, and against storms at sea. It is a 
remedy for diseases of the throat, fever, headache, spitting of 
blood, when applied to the part afTected. It is an armor 
against temptation, especially temptation against holy purity. 
It is a remedy against falling sickness. It brings consolation, 
and strength, and relief in life and death, to the afflicted, tempt- 
ed and desponding. It frees cattle from sickness. To be worn 
on the neck or person ; to be placed on the doors of rooms ; to 
be applied on the parts affected in case of sickness; to be 
dipped in the drink of animals. What a charm ! What a de- 
ceit ! What wholesale and retail lies ! Romanism is equal to 
any deception. The selling of these holy trinkets is a con- 
tinual source of income to the Church, and the end justifies the 
wicked means, the enrichment of the Church by the deception 
of the people. ji 

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LADY'S LAP DOG. 

"In the Dominican's convent it happened that a lady who 
had a lap-dog, which she always used to carry along with her, 



2SO THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

« 

went to receive the sacrament with the dog under her arm, and 
the dog looking up and beginning to bark when the friar went 
to put the wafer in the lady's mouth, he let the wafer fall, 
which happened to drop into the dog's mouth. Both the friar 
and the lady were in deep amazement and confusion, and knew 
not what to do ; so they sent for the reverend father prior, who 
resolved this nice point upon the spot, and ordered to call two 
friars and the clerk, and to bring the cross, and two candle- 
sticks with two candles lighted, and to carry the dog in from 
the procession into the vestry, and keep the poor little creature 
there with illuminations, as if he was the host itself, till the di- 
gestion of the wafer was over, and then to kill the dog and 
throw it into the piscina. Another friar said, it was better to 
open the dog immediately, and take out the fragments of the 
host; and a third was of opinion, that the dog should be burnt 
on the spot. The lady, who loved dearly her Cupid, (this was 
the dog's name,) entreated the father prior to save the dog's 
life, if possible, and that she would give anything to make 
amends for it. Then the prior and friars retijed to consult 
what to do in this case ; and it was resolved, that the dog should 
be called for the future. El per illo del sacramento, i. e. The 
Sacrament's dog. 2. That if the dog should happen to die, the 
lady was to give him a burying in consecrated ground. 3. That 
the lady should take care not to let her dog play with other 
dogs. 4. That she was to give a silver dog, which was to be 
placed upon the tabernacle where the hosts are kept. And, 5. 
That she should give twenty pistoles to the convent. Every 
article was performed accordingly, and the dog was kept with 
a great deal of care and veneration. The case was printed, and 
so came to the ears of the inquisitors, and Don Pedro Guerre- 
ro, first inquisitor, thinking the thing very scandalous, sent 
for the poor dog, and kept him in the inquisition to the great 
grief of the lady. What became of the dog nobody can tell. 
This case is worthy to be reflected on by serious, learned men, 
who may draw consequences to convince the Romans of the 
follies, covetousness, and superstitions of the priests. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 251 

HOW PRIESTS EVADE THE RULES. 

But the pleasantness of their practices will show the tricks 
of that rehgion. As to the victorian friars, I knew in Sara- 
gossa, one father Conchillos, professor of divinity in his con- 
vent, learned in their way, but a pleasant companion. He w-as, 
by his daily exercise of the public lecture, confined to his con- 
vent every day in the afternoon ; but as soon as the lecture was 
over, his thought and care was to divert himself with music, 
gaming, etc. One evening, having given me an invitation to 
his room, I went accordingly, and there was nothing wanting 
of all sorts of recreation, music, cards, comedy, and a very 
good merry company. We went to supper, which was com- 
posed of nice, delicate, eatable things, both of flesh and fish, 
and for the dessert the best sweetmeats. But observing, at 
supper, that my good Conchillos used to take a leg of partridge 
and go to the window, and come again and take a wing of a 
fowl, and do the same, I asked him whether he had some beg- 
gar in the street, to whom he threw the leg and wing? No, he 
said to me. What then do you do with them out of the win- 
dow? Why, said he, I cannot eat flesh within the walls, but 
the statute of my order doth not forbid me to eat it without 
the walls ; and so, w^henever we have a fancy for it, we may eat 
flesh, putting our heads out of the window. Thus they give a 
turn to the law, but a turn agreeable to them. And so they 
do in all their fastings, and abstinences from flesh. 

WHY ROMANISTS OBJECT TO THE BIBLE. 

Now, the real objection of Romanists to the Bible is: You 
cannot find in it many of the fundamental dogmas of Roman- 
ism. You cannot find in it priestly or episcopal celibacy. If 
the Roman Catholic people should read it, they would all see 
that their priests are not keeping the law of God in living with- 
out families, recognized families. The doctrine of the Imma- 
culate Conception is not in the Bible ; nor do Roman theo- 
logians claim that it is. It was only created by Pius IX., in 
1854, who said, not long before he made it, that he did not 
know whether it was true or not. The worship of Mary is not 
in the Bible. Purgatory is not in the Bible. The mass is not 



252 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

in the Bible. The Assumption of the Virgin is not in the Bible. 
Indulgences are not in the Bible, nor Papal infallibility, nor ex- 
treme unction, nor the Inquisition, nor Dens's Theology, nor 
a good deal more that they depend on. That is the real reason 
why they object to the Bible; because the open Bible, in the 
hands of the people, destroys the wicked pretensions of the 
hierarchy, and emancipates men from a yoke that neither they 
nor their fathers have ever been able to bear without being 
pressed down to the ground. 

THE MONK HAD TO TAKE HIS OWN MEDICINE. 

A Saxon nobleman, who had heard Tetzel at Leipsic, was 
much displeased by his falsehoods. Approaching the monk, 
he asked him if he had the power of pardoning sins that men 
have an intention of committing. "Most assuredly," replied 
Tetzel. ''I have received full powers from His Holiness for 
that purpose." ''Well, then," answered the knight, ''I am de- 
sirous of taking a slight revenge on one of my enemies, with- 
out endangering his life. I will give you ten crowns if you will 
give me a letter of indulgence that shall justify me." Tetzel 
made some objection; then came, however, to an arrange- 
ment, by the aid of thirty crowns. The monk quitted Leipsic 
shortly afterwards. The nobleman and his attendants lay in 
wait for him in a wood; they fell upon him and gave him a 
sHght beating, and took away the well-stored indulgence-chest 
the Inquisitor was carrying with him. Tetzel made a violent 
outcry, and carried his complaint before the courts. The 
nobleman showed the letter which Tetzel had signed himself, 
and which exempted him from every penalty. Duke George, 
whom this action at first exceedingly exasperated, no sooner 
read the document than he ordered the accused to be ac- 
quitted. 

POISONED BY EATING HIS GOD. 

We have lately had a public demonstration of the deception 
that is being practiced on the Romanists at the time, in the 
mass. The priests tell their poor dupes that, after certain 
words are used in the consecration, the wafer and the wine are 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 253 

turned into the real blood and body of Jesus Christ, and the 
people fall down and worship it, as though they saw God Al- 
mighty himself in their presence. 

In Oneida, New York, only a few days ago, a priest went 
through the service of consecrating the wafer and the wine, 
and after it was turned into what he declared to the people to 
be the real body and blood of Jesus Christ, he drank the wine 
and went home sick. The doctor was sent for, who declared 
it a case of poisoning, and that there was arsenic in the wine. 
And because of that the priest was at death's door. If the wine 
was really changed into the blood of Christ, how could it be 
poisoned? That there is no change, that it is bread before 
and after the words ''Hoc est corpus meum," none know better 
than the priests. But there is a purpose in the deception, as 
there was a purpose in the creating of this doctrine. 

POPERY AS A POWERFUL SYSTEM. 

Paul predicted that the coming of the Antichrist would be 
"after the working of Satan with all power, and signs, and 
lying words." Let us consider the tremendous power of the 
Papacy, and the manner in which this power has been exer- 
cised. The wicked system predicted by the Apostle was not 
to be a feeble thing; but the Little Horn, as indicated by Dan- 
iel, was to become a thing of tremendous energy. Before the 
power of the Papacy, nations have trembled, and mighty kings 
and emperors have turned pale. The Pope claims power. He 
claims it as his right to rule the world. Our adorable Saviour, 
the Lord Jesus Christ, as he was about to leave the world, said : 
"All power is committed unto me, in heaven, and on earth." 
The Pope of Rome steps in front of the Son of God, and says : 
"All power is committed unto Me in heaven and earth and 
hell." Christ said to his apostles : "Go ye into all the world and 
preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is 
baptized shall be saved, and he that beHeveth not shall be 
damned." The Pope of Rome says : "You must believe in 
my infallibiHty ; you must belong to my Church ; you must con- 
fess your sins, even your most secret sins, to my priests; you 
must make use of holy water; you must abstain from eating 



254 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

meat on Fridays and during Lent; you must give your money 
to the Church; you must pay for masses to get your departed 
friends out of purgatory ; you must obey me in all things, as if 
I were God ; you must attend mass ; you must pray to the Vir- 
gin Mary, and the saints ; you must venerate rags, bones, and 
old iron, when they are declared by my priests to be relics of 
saints ; in a word you must strictly obey the Church ; and when 
you come to die you must have my priests rub a little olive oil 
on your nose, and on your tongue, and on your eyes, and on 
your ears ; and he that doeth these things shall be saved, — that 
is, after spending some time in purgatory; and the length of 
time will depend on the ability of your friends to pay the priest 
for masses to get you out — and he that doeth them not shall 
be damned." 

HOW VOLTAIRE BECAME AN ATHEIST. 

Many intelligent people blame Voltaire for having involved 
France in infidelity and atheism. But who made Voltaire an 
atheist? Was it not the Romish Church? If you read the 
biography of Voltaire you will see it stated that he was edu- 
cated at the Jesuit college of Louis-le-Grande. That is enough ! 
Did any man ever come out of a Jesuit college a Christian? 

ROMANISM ON THE RAMPAGE. 

A Catholic priest some time since intruded into a Presby- 
terian mission school in the southwest. His outrageous con- 
duct was severely and deservedly criticised in the Southwest- 
ern Presbyterian. The Catholic organ denied the facts, but 
they being proved, the priest ventured a public explanation, of 
which the following is a part : 

''Sometime ago rumors reached me that the enemy was in- 
sidiously at work establishing a viper's nest in the shape of a 
Sabbath school mission in the neighborhood of Jackson R. R. 
depot, for the purpose of carrying on a Protestant propagand- 
ism and proselyting institution — soliciting Catholic parents to 
send their children there, and bribing Catholic children to fre- 
quent those dens of hypocrisy, lies and deceit, in order to im- 
bibe in that poisoned source those biblical cants and sancti- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 255 

monious slang belched forth by their authors in Luciferian 
eructations. Not wishing to act immediately upon the rumors 
until I would be better informed, four Sundays ago I made a 
descent upon the den, and there found one of my Catholic chil- 
dren, whom I ordered out of that nest of darkness and irrelig- 
ion, remarking to one who was a Sabbath school teacher, or 
connected therewith, that I would tolerate no one to influence 
the Catholics of my parish to frequent that haunt of error — 
that I would allow no wolf to come in the clothing of sheep and 
make incursions among my flock, without sounding the cry of 
alarm, and expurgating, with all the might of my moral force, 
my parish of this imported religious infection." — N. Y. Evan- 
gelist, July 22, 1869. 

WHAT AMERICAN PROTESTANTS MAY EXPECT. 

'*The Western Watchman," Roman Catholic, pubHshed at 
St. Louis, says : ''Protestantism, — we would draw and quarter 
it; we would impale it, and hang it up for crows' meat; we 
would tear it with pincers, and fire it with hot irons ; we would 
fill it with molten lead, and sink it in hell fire a hundred fath- 
oms deep." This same spirit is now making Leo XIIL restless 
for civil authority. For an infallible Pope, we think he changes 
his mind very often. To-day we hear of his anticipated de- 
parture to Spain, but Spain says : ''Please excuse me ; not to- 
day." Then we hear of his going somewhere else, and there 
he is not wanted. Poor fellow, he is ill at ease, with all his 
Peter's pence to lean upon. He is terribly annoyed because 
the Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian preachers have got so 
near him. Thank God, the Vatican has lost its power, and the 
Gospel of Jesus Christ is winning glorious victories in Rome 

also! 

A BISHOP'S CURSE AGAINST THE PRESS. 

A recent letter from Europe states that the Bishop of San- 
tander, Spain, denounces as follows the newspapers which 
favor civil and religious liberty in that country: "May Al- 
mighty God curse those journals with the perpetual maledic- 
tions launched against the devil and his angels. May they per- 
ish with Nero, JuHan the apostate, and Judas the traitor. May 



256 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

the Lord judge them as he judged Dathan and Abiram. May 
the earth swallow them up alive. Let them be cursed day and 
night, sleeping and waking, in eating, in drinking, and in play- 
ing, when they speak, when they keep silence. May their eyes 
be blinded, their ears deaf, their tongues dumb. Cursed be ev- 
ery member of their body. Let them be accursed to-day and 
forever. May their sepulchre be that of dogs and asses. May 
famished wolves prey upon their corpse, and may their eternal 
company be that of the devil and his angels." 

There is no church under heaven that can curse equal to the 
Roman Catholic Church; and there is no people in the world 
dare be so profane in their everyday conversation, who call 
themselves church members as the Roman Catholics. 

What I have just read is an expression of the feeling which 
is entertained by the hierarchy in Spain for all who favor free 
speech, a free press, and free thought. But Romanism is the 
same everywhere, and she entertains the same feelings and the 
same hatred in her heart to-day in the United States. This is 
the curse, or one equally vile, which she daily hurls at the press, 
and at the free speech of every American citizen. 

WHY BOMANISTS CHANGED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 

The Romish Church says that marriage is not honorable for 
priests and nuns, and a bishop shall not be the husband of one 
wife. God says, "Every creature of God is good and is to be 
partaken of with thanksgiving;" but the Romish Church says, 
that every creature of God is not good, and commands that 
millions of Romanists shall not eat meat on Fridays, or during 
Lent, etc. In these and other instances, the bishops and 
priests of Rome blasphemeously set the laws of their church 
above the laws of God. But perhaps the most daring defiance 
of the Almighty is in the insolent alternation of the Ten Com- 
mandments. They have dared to strike out the Second Com- 
mandment, and to make up the full number of ten by dividing 
the tenth into two. And they have done this for the wicked 
purpose of becoming image-worshipping idolaters contrary to 
the divine prohibition. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 257 

AN" OATH TAKEN BEFORE A CIVIL MAGISTRATE NOT BINDING. 

Dr. DeBarth, at one time Vicar General of Pennsylvania, 
when told he could not take the oath of naturalization of Am- 
erica, without violating his oath to the Roman Pontifif, pro- 
nounced it a mistake, and promptly remarked that "any part 
of the oath of allegiance to this country which may be incom- 
patible with the first and greater allegiance to the Pontiffs of 
no obligation." 

Commenting on the above, the editor of the Harrisburg 
Herald says: "This is the true higher law doctrine of the 
papacy. It leads to perjury against the priest, or to treason and 
rebellion against the State. But what if it does? Perjury, 
treason and rebellion can easily be pardoned for the good of 
the Church, and a temporal penalty can be better born than 
eternal perdition. The pardoning power of the President of 
the United States does not compare with the pardoning power 
of the Pontiff and his priests." 

"NO PROTESTANT CAN GO TO HEAVEN." 

The Roman Catholic pulpit is being used as a place of assault 
against all that is dear to the American heart. Think of such 
an utterance as this from a Priest at Pana, 111. : "The Y. M. C. 
A. is a hell-hole. Mothers, I implore you to keep your sons 
from going to such places." In regard to Protestants in gen- 
eral, he said : "There is not a good, moral young man in Pana 
that is a Protestant. The only men are Catholics. I had rather 
stand up with a gambler, a saloon-keeper, or a drunkard on the 
judgment day, than with a Protestant, for they will all go to 
hell together. No Protestant can go to heaven." 

THORNS AND THKTLES PREFERRED TO LUTHERANS. 

Here is the decision of the Empress Queen of Hungary, in 
1 75 1, whose commissioners announced to some Lutherans 
then confined and chained in dungeons : "The Queen would 
rather that the land should bear thorns and thistles, than that 
it should be ploughed by Lutherans." — Spirit of Popery, 
Page 15. 



258 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

LICENSE FOR COMMITTING SINS. 

This tariff was established in 13 16 by Pope John XXIL, and 
first published by Pope Leo X. in 15 14. Many editions have 
been published in Latin and French. An English translation 
was printed in this country in 1846. I give at random a few 
prices : 

Robbing a church $ 2 25 

Simony 2 25 

Perjury, forgery and lying 2 00 

Robbery 3 00 

Burning a house 2 75 

Eating meat in Lent 2 75 

Killing a layman i 75 

Striking a priest 2 75 

Procuring abortion i 50 

Priest to keep a concubine 2 25 

Ravishing a virgin 2 00 

Murder of father, mother, brother, sister 

or wife 2 50 

Nun for fornication in or out of the nun- 
nery 5 GO 

Marrying on a day forbidden 10 00 

Adultery committed by a priest with nuns 

and others 10 00 

Absolution of all crimes together 12 00 

A LONG LADDER TO MEET GOD. 

The following story is significant by the impression made by 
Roman Cathohc Christianity on the mind of a Hindoo priest 
sent over recently to Europe to study the civilization and re- 
Hgion of the West. He was much impressed by the beauty and 
charm of the first church he attended, and with the words of 
the ofBciating minister; and after the service he went to pay 
his respects to the preacher. 

"Your words," he said, "have deeply impressed me. You 
are surely one of the first servants of the Church?" 

"Oh, no," replied the clergyman with humble mien," "the 
vicar is over me." 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 259 

''And over the vicar?" 

''The canons." 

"And over the canons?" 

"The bishop." 

"And over the bishop?" 

"The archbishop." 

"And over the archbishop?" 

"The cardinals." 

"And over the cardinals?" 

"The Holy Father, the Pope." 

The Hindoo priest shook his head and ceased his questions, 
saying: "What a long, long ladder you want to mount up to 
God." 

The evil of priestly intermediaries between man and his 
Maker could scarcely be more strikingly put. 

HOW LUTHER OVEBCAME THE POPE. 

What was the secret of Luther's success? or the mighty 
movement which let millions out of Romish darkness and su- 
perstition into Christian light, liberty and joy? Simply this: 
He told the truth about Romanism, regardless of personal con- 
sequences. "It is doctrine we attack in the followers of the 
papacy," he said. "Huss and Wicliff only attacked their life ; 
but in attacking their doctrine, we seize the goose by the 
throat. Everything depends on the Word of God which the 
Pope has taken from us and falsified. I have overcome the 
Pope, because my doctrine is according to God, and his is the 
doctrine of the devil." 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST 
AND THE CHURCH OF ROME. 

How long is it since the Church of Christ, or the true Pro- 
testant Church, was known? At what time was it that the 
Church of Rome claimed to be "the only true church?" 

This is to show to my Roman friends, who say that I am 
"lost" because I left their church. Ex-Romanist. 

Ans. — The Roman Catholic Church was of gradual growth 
from the original apostolic church. The Church was pure for 




.'c^v? 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 261 

the first hundred years of its existence, and then abuses began 
to creep into it, until finally the papacy, celibacy, the mass, im- 
maculate conception, infallibility, etc., utterly destroyed its re- 
semblance to the Church established by Christ. The ''true 
Church," we believe, has existed since Christ, without inter- 
ruption — that is, there have always been true Christians on 
earth, even in the darkest ages ; but the Romish Church as it 
now exists — with its immaculate conception, infallibility, etc., 
is of very recent date. 

THE AWPTJIi TATE OF ROMAN CATHOLICS WHO DARE BECOME 

PROTESTANTS. 

The progress of Protestantism and evangelization in Mexico 
has become so great that it is attracting great attention from 
the priests and bishops, who begin to see that there is danger 
that their craft will come to naught. They are therefore arous- 
ing themselves, and, where violence is not ventured upon, they 
are doing all they can to excite the prejudices of the people. 
Here is something which illustrates their disposition on the 
one hand, and the degraded, grovelling condition of the 
"Church" on the other. It is a htany ordered by the priests to 
be recited for the damning of those who dare to depart from 
faith and the practices of the Church; who are making efforts 
in behalf of education and the liberty of conscience. It's a 
beauty, and reads as follows: — 

LITANY. 

O Horse of St. James, stamp them! (The Liberals, her- 
etics, etc.) 
O Lion of St. Mark, tear them in pieces f 
O Deer of St. Nicholas, kick them ! 
O Bull of St. Luke, horn them ! 
O Goat of St. Francis, butt them ! 
O Devil of St. Miguel, scratch them ! 
O Crow of St. Onofre, scratch their eyes out ! 
O Fish of St. Rafael, give them the dyspepsia ! 
O Mule of the birth, kick them ! 
O Saw pi St. Joseph, saw them ! 
17 



262 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

O Handcuffs of St. Peter Nolasco, bind them ! 

O Whale of Jonah, swallow them ! 

O powerful St. Cristobal, smash them ! 

O Rope of St. Bias, hang them ! 

O Teeth of St. Apolonius, chew them ! 

O Gridiron of St. Lorenzo, toast them ! 

O Balaam's Ass, thou knowest what thou doest ! 

O Cock of St. Peter, pursue them ! 
Amen. 
This litany is said to have been prepared by a priest, Fehx 
Rosa Angel, who says : ''You notice that I have left the beaten 
track, and do not pray directly to the saints, but to their re- 
spective animals, which, according to tradition, have great in- 
fluence with them (the saints), and which are a sure means of 
securing, by their powerful intercession, that for which we 
pray." And he tells his people that ''the illustrious Lord Bis- 
hop of Morelia, Don Cleniente Musequia, by his own author- 
ity, and in the name of other most worthy prelates of his fra- 
ternity, concedes two hundred days' indulgence for each word 
contained in this litany." This is Romanism in Mexico. But, 
be it remembered, Romanism is one and the same whenever 
found, modified only by the society in which it moves. It is 
"the one Church," under "the one head." 

REV. T. DeWITT TAL3MAGE ON ROMANISM. 

"We cannot compete in bitterness with a Church that burned 
John Oldcastle, and scattered the ashes of Wickliffe, and mas- 
sacred the Waldenses, and exterminated the Albigenses, and 
dug the Inquisition, and roasted over slow fires Nicholas Rid- 
ley, and had medals struck in honor of St. Bartholomew's majs- 
sacre, and took God's dear children and cut out their tongues, 
and poured hot lead into their ears, and tore out their nails 
with pincers, and let water fall upon their heads until it wore 
to the brain, and wrenched their bodies limb from limb, and 
into the wine-press of its wrath threw the red clusters of a mil- 
lion human hearts, till under the trampling of their feet the 
blood foamed to the lip of their impearled chalices. 

"The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 263 

and mighty through God to the pulhng down of strongholds. 
To the penances, the costly indulgences, and fatiguing 
genuflections of Romanism, we will oppose a broad-armed Gos- 
pel that without money, and without price, and without pen- 
ances, and without crossings, invites a world to be saved — a 
free Bible — a free salvation — a free heaven ! . . . Against the 
bedwarfed Roman Catholic literature, we will bring the bat- 
tering-ram of a Christian printing-press. . . To tlie celibacy 
of the Romish priesthood I oppose the happy households of 
the Christian ministry. . . To the Roman Catholic schools 
and colleges, . . . we will oppose free schools. . . In oppo- 
sition to the Latinized service of Romish churches, we set plain 
prayers that all may follow, and plain preaching that all can 
understand. ... In opposition to Romish cathedrals, dark, 
damp, and fetid, we will set cheerful churches, with fresh air 
and plenty of light. . . In opposition to the artistic chanting 
in Romish cathedrals, I set congregational singing In op- 
position to the bigotry of the Romish Church, I set the broad 
platform of Christian brotherhood. All outside their church 
are cursed as heretics. We oppose that procedure by offering 
our blessing to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, be they 
Protestant or Roman Catholic, Calvinist or Armenian, sprinkled 
or immersed; one Lord — one faith — one baptism — one cross 
— one Holy Ghost — one judgment-seat — one doxology — one 
heaven !" 

A METHODIST PREACHER'S ADVICE TO THE POPE. 

The name of Chaplain McCabe, D.D., the great Missionary 
Secretary, is a household word in Methodism, and no man in 
America is better known among church people generally. He 
recently uttered the following stirring words : — 

''I wonder if the Pope would receive a little counsel from a 
Methodist preacher? If so, here it is: — 

"Be quiet, old man ! The world has slipped by you. Some 
nations that are free from your yoke will never put it on again, 
and they mean to see that all nations, and kindred, and tribes, 
and tongues, shall have the same liberty they enjoy. 'Peter, 
put up the sword,' The master told you that long ago. You 



264 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

have used that sword more agamst the friends than against the 
foes of Christ. The nations built upon the truth of God, have 
grown too mighty for your control. You cannot convince 
them, for you have no argument, no logic, and no success in 
nation-building to enforce the sophistry of what you call argu- 
ment. You cannot compel them, for the military power of the 
world has passed into Protestant hands. The effort to regain 
it for Rome has cost you dear. Remember Maximilian, and 
the Empire of Mexico. Austria has had her Sadowa; France 
has had her Sedan. Buy no more wisdom at such a price. 
Neither France, nor Spain, nor Portugal, nor Austria, nor 
Mexico, nor the South American Republics, nor all combined, 
can restore to your feeble hand the fallen sceptre of the Papal 
States. The attempt to do that will seal the doom of the papacy 
in Rome itself. The causes you bless have been cursed, and 
the causes you curse have been blessed. Heaven fails to ratify 
either your anathemas, or your benedictions. The stars in 
their course fight against you. The breath of life has been 
breathed into the nations. The pandemonium of Rome must 
give place to the kingdom which is not of this world. Be quiet, 
therefore. Fall into line ! Give the people the Bible. Ask the 
next Council to take back its silly decree of papal infallibihty, 
which every sensible man on earth ridicules. You are nothing 
but a man, and you know it ; and all the fawning flattery of the 
world can not make you believe that you are anything more 
than a poor, ignorant mortal like the rest of us. What is the 
use of keeping up this comedy any longer? Three hundred 
years ago, when the Armada sailed, it was high tragedy. Times 
have changed, and it is getting to be low comedy now. Three 
hundred years ago there were only 7,000,000 of English-speak- 
ing people; now there are 110,000,000 of them, and as sure as 
the sun shines in heaven, this race will victoriously preserve 
civil and religious liberty for themselves, and for all mankind! 
Be quiet ! The soul of John Huss is marching on !" 

HERMANN, THE GREAT MAGICIAN, EXPOSES ROMISH "MIRA- 
CLES." 

"Herrmann, the magician," has been before the world for 
many years as the most expert of modern wonder workers. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 265 

Recently he has been exposing the ''old bone" frauds and other 
so called "miracles of the Romish Church, and has thus brought 
down on himself the wrath of the priests. The head of the 
Paulists Fathers in New York has been attacking him, and 
this was Hermann's reply in the N. Y. Herald : — 
Editor of the Herald: — 

In your issue of March 5 appears an article from the pen of 
Alfred Young (house of the Paulist Fathers), in reply to one 
of mine on ''Modern Miracles," published in your paper some 
weeks since. 

I stated in my article that after a professional hunt for a real 
miracle for the space of thirty years, and after a reward of $20,- 
000 for the production of one, I could never discover what I 
sought, and I concluded as reasonable that in the past thirty 
years there has never been a miracle wrought. That's all. Now 
what does Alfred Young mean in his article? Does he doubt 
me when I say that I have never seen a miracle? Has he ever 
seen a miracle? Does he know where I can find one? Does 
he believe in miracles? He tells me to go to Lourdes and see 
the crutches on exhibition there and the church built with the 
alms of the people who have been cured there. I do not want 
to go to Lourdes, because I have been there, but for every 
person cured at Lourdes I will bring another from the Hot 
Springs of Arkansas. There is no church at the Hot Springs 
built by the alms of the faithful; no crutches. Why? Because 
at the Hot Springs money is paid for the use of the baths and 
professional services. At Lourdes the money of the faithful 
builds churches. And there you are, Alfred Young. 

One word more, Alfred Young. Before you disprove my 
utterances of fact with mazy reasoning, if you are honest in 
the stand you take, prove to me by facts before an intelligent 
jury of business men of your own selection, the following facts, 
and if you prove them I will believe in miracles against my ex- 
perience and the dross of $20,000 is yours : — ■ 

First — That the waters of Lourdes are not impregnated with 
medical properties capable of curing disease. 

Second — That any one suffering from an incurably organic 
disease has ever been permanently cured by the waters of 



266 THB DHVIl IN THE CHURCH: 

Ivourdes. I demand for this proof the examination and cross- 
examination of reputable physicians unbiased by fear, credul- 
ity or superstition. 

You claim to be empowered with all the prerogatives given 
to the original apostles. You know that in the tenth chapter 
of Matthew you are empowered, like the apostles, to do the 
following things : "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the 
dead, cast out devils." You perform duties every day by vir- 
tue of just such authority in your priestly functions — duties, 
however, which require mere words with no visible results. 
Now, then, prove something by facts. Take off your coat, get 
a cross, crucify yourself and come back again, or get one of 
your associates to bring you back again, for he has the power to 
raise the dead as well as you. Send me a complimentary ticket 
to the exhibition. I never charge clefgymen admission to my 
entertainments. A. HERRMANN. 

New York, March 14, 1893. 

A PEISTANCE THE OLD LADY COULD NOT PERFORM. 

A priest asked a young man who had come to confess how 
he earned his living. "I'm an acrowbat, your riverence." The 
priest was non-plussed. "I'll show ye what I mean in a brace 
of shakes," said the penitent, and in a moment was turning 
himself inside out in the most approved acrobatic fashion. An 
old woman, who had followed him to confession, looked on 
horrified. "When it comes my turn, father," she gasped, "for 
the love of Heaven don't p-ut a penance on me Hke that: it 
'ud be the death of me !" — Spectator. 

THE MASTERPIECE OF THE DEVIL. 

The Roman Catholic church is no absurd and mekningless 
bugbear, but a living and acting organism, formidable in its 
strength and efficiency. Those who know little of its power 
may make themselves merry over its pretensions ; but many a 
Protestant can echo the sentiment uttered by the late Rev. 
Richard Cecil of the Church of England : 

"Popery is the masterpiece of Satin." 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 267 



1 



And a Roman Catholic, the noted Father Ignatius of Eng- 
land, has adopted this sentiment in a measure, by saying to 
Rev. Dr. Gumming: 

"Sir, if the church of Rome be not the church of Christ, it is 
the masterpiece of the Devil." 

And strongly does Dr. Cumming enforce this idea : 

''So said Father Ignatius. So say I. I believe there was 
immense meaning in his words. It is the one or the other. 
And I believe that one great danger to which Protestants are 
subject is the constant habit of supposing that Rome is a coarse 
and vulgar imposture, unfit for the light of the 19th century; 
instead of feeling that it is the gigantic conspiracy of Satan, 
worked out by the archangel's wickedness and will. Anti- 
christ, with his people, constituting the church of Rome ; 
Christ, in the midst of his, constituting its correlative, the 
church of the living God. Despite it, it will overwhelm you; 
tamper with it, it will ensnare and captivate you ; resist it in 
the name of God, and like its author the Devil, it will instantly 
flee from you. It is the masterpiece of Satan beyond dispute, 
and only by viewing it in that light will you be enabled rightly 
to estimate your danger and its inherent element of progress 
and power." 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PURGATORY AND PARADISE. 

"To-day thou shalt be with me in paradise." Luke xxiii. 43. 
"The saints who die of Christ possess'd, 
Enter into immediate rest; 
For them no further test remains. 
Of purging fires and torturing pains." 

— C. Wesley. 
You will not find the word "purgatory" in the Bible. Rome 
cannot express her doctrines and customs in scriptural lan- 
guage. She has been compelled to invent a terminology of her 
own. Mass, rosary, pope, extreme unction, chrism, acolyte, 
and a host of other words, very familiar to Romish ears, may 
be found in a dictionary, but not in the Bible. A "form of 
sound words" is of great value, but nevertheless, if the things 
themselves could only be found in the Word of God, we would 



268 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

not object so strongly to the use of new terms. But the worst 
of it is, that the doctrines and customs signified by these words, 
cannot be found in the Bible. Thus it is with the doctrine of 
purgatory. The Bible does not give it the faintest shadow of 
support. But what is this purgatory, about which we hear so 
much from Romanists, and of which we can find no trace in the 
Bible? 

It is not Heaven. It is not Hell. They do not mean by it, 
the doctrine of the intermediate state, in which so many worthy 
Protestants beheve, the place where departed spirits wait the 
resurrection from the dead, and the great day of judgment. 
They believe in purgatory as a place where the souls of depart- 
ed Roman Cathohcs go to be purified and prepared for Heaven. 
It is a place of literal fire, of fearful pain. Roman CathoHc 
writers make its torments as great and terrible as are those of 
Hell. But then you may escape from purgatory, while in Hell 
there gleams no hope. 

This seems to be about the only difference. The escape 
from purgatory is helped and hastened by masses and prayers 
offered by the priests. Such is the Romish doctrine of pur- 
gatory. But we had better state it in their own language. In 
the creed drawn up by the Council of Trent, before quoted at 
length, it is stated thus: *T constantly hold that there is a 
purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by 
the suffrages of the faithful." Dens, in his Theology, says of 
it: 'Tt is a place in which the souls of the pious dead, obnox- 
ious to temporal punishment, make satisfaction." The cate- 
chism of the Council of Trent gives this rather evasive view of 
it: 'Tn the fire of purgatory the souls of just men a»e cleansed 
by a temporal punishment, in order to be admitted into their 
eternal country, into which nothing defiled entereth." The 
Douay Catechism gives the following short exposition of it: 

''Q. Whither go such as die in mortal sin? 

''A. To Hell, to all eternity. 

"Q. Whither go such as die in venial sin, or not having fully 
satisfied for the punishment due to their mortal sins. 




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270 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"A. To purgatory, till they have made full satisfaction for 
them, and then to Heaven." ^ 

Now what foundation has this division of sins into mortal 
and venial sins, the idea of making satisfaction for sin by suf- 
fering in the world to come, in the word of God ? Simply none 
whatever. 

"ONE HUNDRED AND ONE REASONS WHY I LEFT THE ROMAN 
CATHOLIC CHURCH," By Ex-Priest J. Donnelly. 

1. Because Roman Catholic Moral Theology teaches that 
her members may equivocate, dissemble, perjure, steal, and 
even murder, if it be for the good of the church. 

2. Because she_ has corrupted the Holy Scriptures, denied 
them to her people for ages, and left out the second command- 
ment of God entirely from the decalogue, that her image wor- 
ship might not appear so culpable and blasphemous. 

3. Because the law of the church teaches that if the priest 
learn in the confessional from his penitent that the latter is 
about to plot the burning of a city and the destruction of all 
the inhabitants thereof, he must say, if interrogated outside the 
confessional, that he knows nothing about it ; and if in a court 
of justice, he is to confirm his statement by an oath. 

4. Because her worship of and praying to saints is unscrip- 
tural, unreasonable and absurd. For saints to hear the prayers 
of all Roman Catholics, it is necessary that they be in all places 
at the same time and be omniscient. But only one is ubiquit- 
ous and omniscient. He is able to see the motives of the heart 
and hear all suppHcations — God, the Almighty One. "For 
thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men." (2 
Chron. 6:30). » 

5. Because of the monstrous and idolatrous doctrine of the 
mass, in which she teaches that the priest consecrates the wafer 
into the flesh and blood of Christ, and presents him to thou- 
sands of people, whole and entire, in thousands of places at the 
same time. This seems to me contrary to Scripture, reason 
and all experience. We have no instance of where Christ when 
on earth was ever in more than one place at a time. When 
teaching in the synagogue he was not in the garden of Geth- 



/ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 271 

semane. When in the temple, he was not walking with Mary 
and Joseph on the way from Jerusalem. 

The Lord's Supper, of which the mass is a mockery, was not 
literal, but figurative of Christ's body. It was to be a com- 
memoration. "For so often as ye eat this bread and drink this 
cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." (i Cor. 11 :26.) 

6. Because she teaches that the sacrament of Baptism re- 
generates, makes people Christians and heirs of heaven. She, 
therefore, contradicts the Bible, which declares that we are 
justified by faith, and that faith and salvation is personal, and 
cannot be obtained by proxy. 1 

7. Because she teaches that the infant which dies without 
baptism shall never enter into the presence of God ; and on the 
other hand, that the highway robber, the blasphemer, gambler, 
drunkard, thief and murderer who may confess to a priest, and 
do penance, will possess the kingdom of heaven. Little chil- 
dren of whom Christ said, "Suffer them to come unto me, and 
forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven," think 
of these going into outer darkness while the bloodthirsty 
assassin goes to the Holy of Holies to enjoy the paradise of- 
God forever ! 

8. Because confession to a priest is immortal, indecent and 
contrary to the Scriptures which command us to go to God 
alone. 

9. Because auricular confession dwells on thoughts and uses 
language so obscene that if uttered outside in ordinary society 
both priest and penitent would be arrested and prosecuted for 
using obscene language. 

10. Because the confessional box paves the way for an in- 
voluntary celibate, and too often an intemperate man, to the 
moral ruin of his unsophisticated female penitent. 

11. Because the command of the Apostle to ''confess your 
sins, one to another," is violated by the priests, who insist on 
their enslaved victims to confess to them, but they themselves 
never in return kneel down and confess to the people. 

12. Because of her traditions and dogmas and bulls which 
contradict the word of God, and make it of no avail. There 
is no scriptural authority for any of her sacraments as she 



272 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

teaches them. Especially is this true of the five bastard sacra- 
ments : Confirmation, Penance, Extreme Unction, Ordination 
and Matrimony. 

13. Because of her perilous and wicked doctrine of ''Inten- 
tion," which teaches it to be lawful to steal if you form the in- 
tention of making restitution. According to that ''intention" 
you may take a neighbor's article, provided you have not the 
intention of stealing it. If afterwards you consume the prop- 
erty or lose it, the real owner can get nothing if you have not 
wherewith to restore. In that case the law that obtains is : 
"Necessitas non habet legem;" that is, "necessity has no law." 
He must put up with what he gets — nothing, on the principle 
of "what cannot be cured must be endured." But the thief 
rests at ease under that doctrine, in that he had not the "inten- 
tion" of originally stealing the article, but just of using it for a 
time for his own use. 

14. Because no Roman Catholic is ever sure of salvation, 
as he is not certain of the priest having the right intention when 
baptizing him. If the priest had not the intention to do what 
Rome does, the baptism is null and void, and, consequently, 
all other sacraments are null. "If any one shall say that the 
intention of doing, at least what the church does, is not re- 
quired in ministers while they administer the sacraments, let 
him be accursed." Council of Trent, Canon 10, De Sacra- 
mentis. 

15. Because a good and merciful God would not commit the 
salvation of souls to the intention or nonintention of an eccle- 
siastical body of men, who, for unholy living and impure lives, 
are hardly equaled by any other class of notorious sinners. 

16. Because I found that nearly all the doctrines of Rome 
were unscriptural, and were never taught by Christ or his 
Apostles, or practiced by the early Christians. 

17. Because Rome teaches that to be saved it is necessary to 
belong to the Roman Catholic church. And Christ and his 
Gospel teach that salvation is by direct, personal faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. "He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; 
but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3 :36). 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 273 

18. Because the Church of Rome interprets most of the 
Scriptures in a literal, material sense, where Christ speaks in 
a figurative and spiritual sense. 

19. Because she impresses the people with a false idea of the 
word ''Church.'' 

20. Because I saw and touched the instruments of the Inqui- 
sition, by which multitudes of honest Christians were put to a 
slow, heartrending death for the crime of being suspected of 
heresy. When I saw the tortures of ''walling up," the "burn- 
ing pile," the "red-hot ovens," the deadly "pulley," the "iron 
virgin," the cold "water pressure" on the brain. When I ob- 
tained sufficient evidence that priests, bishops and monks who 
claimed to be the representatives of the meek and lowly Jesus, 
helped to apply the torch to the limbs of their fellow men, I 
shed tears, and prayed God to show me the way out from a 
system that strangled, burned and murdered. 

21. Because the confessional is blasphemy and a reproach to 
Jesus Christ, who invites the sinner to come to him for mercy. 
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (i. Jno.,i '.g.) 

22. Because priests violate the secrecy of the confessional 
in speaking to one another about the sins they hear in the con- 
fession in such a way that the listeners know to whom they 
refer. 

22^. Because intoxication is the rule, rather than the excep- 
tion, among all priests. 

24. Because of her idols and images, which are not only 
venerated, but worshipped. The blessed Apostle says: "Flee 
from idols." (i John, 5:21.) 

25. Because she condemns marriage in priests, bishops and 
monks, and thus conflicts with the Avord of God, which says : 
"A bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife." (i 
Tim., 3 :2.) And, "To avoid fornication, let every man have 
his own wife." (i Cor., y:2.) 

26. Because of the church's unscriptural doctrine of Ex- 
treme Unction, which teaches the departing soul to settle its 
last thoughts on visible things, st^^h as candles, oils, holy water, 



274 ^^^ DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

instead of looking to Jesus Christ, whose blood ''cleanseth 
from all sin." (i John, i :y.) 

27. Because, no matter how holy Roman Catholics may live, 
and no matter how many good works they perform, the church 
gives them no assurance of heaven on their departure hence, 
but presents them with doubts, fears and the certainty of a 
burning Purgatory, even for the just, before they can enter 
heaven. With them there is no ''This day thou shalt be with 
me in Paradise." 

28. Because the church teaches that sprinkling infants re- 
generates them, and makes them members of the church, and 
children of God. 

29. Because, in the early Christian churches those only were 
baptized who believed. "Then Peter said unto them, repent 
and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins. Then they that gladly received his 
word were baptized." (Acts 2: 38-41.) 

30. Because the church receives into her membership the 
unconverted, and baptizes them, whereas in the church of 
Christ in all ages those only were baptized who were previously 
converted. Even the Apostle Paul was first converted and then 
baptized. "And he received his sight forthwith, and arose and 
was baptized." (Acts 9:18.) 

31. Because wooden instruments called crosses, also images 
of the virgin and saints, are retained, venerated and worshipped. 

32. Because the second commandment forbids the making of 
"any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the 
heaven above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the 
water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to 
them, nor serve them, for I am the Lord thy God." — Exod. 

20:3,4,5-) 

33. Because the church admonishes the people to have re- 
course to the intercession of the saints, and to venerate their 
relics; and because the sacred Scriptures say: "There is one 
God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ 
Jesus." (i Tim., 2:5.) "I am the way, the truth and the life. 
No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John 14:6.) 

34. Because I believe that purity is a holier state than celj- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 275 

bacy; but the church insists on ceHbacy for priests, deacons 
and bishops. 

35. Because enforced celibacy is radically wrong, and is con- 
trary to the word of God. "A bishop must be blameless, the 
husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given 
to hospitality, apt to teach, not given to wine." (i Tim., 3: 

2, 3-) 

36. Because in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper the 
church teaches that the flesh and blood of Christ is present in 
a material, carnal sense, and the Scripture says : ''It is the 
spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing; the words 
that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." (John 

6:63.) 

37. Because the church demands the people to go to the 
priest in the confessional to obtain pardon of sins, and the Lord 
Jesus Christ invites sinners to come to Him for forgiveness : 
"Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I 
will give you rest." (Matt. 1 1 128.) 

38. Because the church makes the pope its head on earth, 
whereas there is no head other than Christ Jesus. "For the 
husband is head of the wife as Christ is head of the church." 
(Ephes., 5:23.) 

39. Because the mass is a fraud imposed on the impHcit con- 
fidence of a credulous people, under pretense that it is the same 
as Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and that the priest's mass 
liberates the souls of the dead from an imaginary Purgatory. 
The word of God declares that Christ "offered one sacrifice for 
sins forever, and then sat down on the right hand of God." 
(Heb., 10: II, 12.) 

40. Because of the Romish church makes the Virgin Mary 
the refuge of sinners, the "gate of heaven," the "comfort of the 
afflicted," the "morning star," the "health of the weak" and the 
"help of Christians." 

41. Because the church's aim is to keep the people in in- 
tellectual, moral and physical slavery, and make them "hewers 
of wood and carriers of water" the world over. 

42. Because an orthodox Roman CathoHc owes allegiance to 
the ecclesiastical government of the pope of Rome, who teaches 



276 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

« 

his superiority over, and above, all secular powers ; and, there- 
fore, cannot be a legal citizen to any civil government. 

43. Because a large number of the popes have been the most 
immoral wretches who ever appeared in human form. 

43. Because all the popes interfere with politics, and have 
been the greatest curses of the nations of the earth. 

44. Because the papacy teaches dogmas and human canons 
that contradict the teaching of Christ, and has persecuted unto 
death for conscience's sake. 

45. Because Rome denies Jesus Christ to be our advocate, 
our redeemer and our Saviour, by exalting Mary to be ''our 
most loving Advocate" and ''the protectoress of all sinners." 

46. Because the church has persecuted the Bible, discourag- 
ed its reading and study among the people, and recommends 
instead thereof the priest's prayer book and bishop's catechism. 

47. Because the church has failed to bring the unconverted 
to a holy life. Her members live and die unhappy in mind and 
conscience, always looking for some help they never find. 

48. Because I have learned from long and careful experience 
that priests and bishops do not preach for the interest of Christ 
and his kingdom, but for Rome and the almighty dollar. 

49. Because the apostles and disciples of Christ never dress- 
ed in royal vestments — never said mass in Latin or in any other 
language — never permitted man, woman or child to bend the 
knee to them in confession — never heard confessions at all — 
never despised marriage in priests or bishops, but blessed it 
and recommended it, as "honorable in all." They never used 
wine, holy water, candles, wafers, incense, "agnus dei," scapu- 
lars, medals, relics, or pocket Gods of any kind. 

50. Because the mass offers an opportunity to a large ma- 
jority of priests to mock and blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ 
by celebrating it in a drunken state. 

51. Because the church changes her doctrines so often that 
Catholics themselves for the most part do not know what their 
church really believes, or teaches. 

52. Because the Romish teaching is nowhere established by 
the Bible^ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 277 

53. Because I feel more secure to live by faith and the word 
of God than by traditions and the alleged infallibility of men. 

54. Because indulgences are held out by the church and are 
indirectly and directly procured by paying out of the pocket 
hard cash. 

55. Because Purgatory seems to me to be established not 
for the purpose so much of drawing souls from the fiery pit, 
as for drawing the money from the pockets of a credulous peo- 
ple. 

P 56. Because I firmly believe that it is of Pagan origin, and 
devilish in the extreme for man to adore the host. 

58. Because I believe that priests and bishops, instead of 
being vicars and ambassadors of the Holy One, are but 
microbes and human parasites, the farther from which we be- 
take ourselves, the happier, holier and more successful in this 
life and the life to come shall we be. 

59. Because I found more wicked men and seducers among 
the Roman Catholic clergy than among any other class of men 
of equal numbers. 

60. Because, according to the Scriptural idea, the Roman 
church is no Christian church at all. All who believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ are of the Christian churck, wherever found, 
and to them, and not to a hierarchical body of men is the com- 
mission given to preach and teach and to forgive trespasses 
against each other. To them is the promise made, and not 
to a priest or pope, that the Holy Spirit will abide with them 
all days to comfort, to teach, and guide to the consummation 
of the world. 

60. Because I am satisfied from history, and especially from 
my knowledge of the Bible, that neither Sts. Peter, Paul, John, 
James, Thomas, or any other follower of Christ did what the 
priests, bishops and pope of Rome do now. 

61. Because long experience has taught me that the church 
gives the people no equivalent for the immense sums of money 
she extorts from them. 

62. Because the church forbids a man to use his own reason, 
or be guided by the testimony of his own senses, 

18 




Tortures of the Waldenses in 1655. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 279 

6;^. Because I prefer to be saved by the free grace of the 
Lord and Saviour, promised to all who will, than to risk my 
salvation by proxy and purchased grace of men who have none 
to spare, even for themselves. 

64. Because I will never give up a certainty for an uncer- 
tainty. 

65. Because I want to use my own brains that God has given 
me to beget knowledge to prove all things, "and hold fast to 
that which is good." 

66. Because I prefer to be condemned by the priest for re- 
jecting his expensive salvation, than to be condemned on the 
last day by the judge of all the earth for rejecting free salva- 
tion purchased by the precious blood of Christ. 

6y. Because I prefer to read the Scriptures and. judge for 
myself by the aid of the Holy Spirit, though I be called a 
"heretic," a "turn coat" and "black sheep," than to receive the 
milk of the word from men who don't know it, and be called 
"a good, holy Roman Catholic." 

68. Because I deny the proposition of the church that there 
can be no good government on earth without the Roman 
Catholic religion. 

69. Because I find in every land in which I traveled that, for 
the most part, good Roman Catholics make bad Christians, 
and wicked Christians make good Roman Catholics. Of course 
true Christians, converted men, cannot become Roman Cath- 
olics. 

70. Because I believe the pope, who refuses to be instructed 
in faith and morals, in that he knows it all, is antichristian and 
the son of perdition. 

71. Because I could not believe that the public schools, for 
the best interests of any nation ought to be under the control 
of the church. 

y2. Because I could not be a true American citizen and take 
sides with a system that is a disgrace to the fundamental in- 
stitutions of our country. 

y^. Because I do not believe that "education outside the 
Roman Catholic church is a damnable heresy." 

74. Because I cannot believe that Sts. Patrick, Joseph, Peter, 



28o THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Bridget, or any of them, can be in different places at the same 
time to hear prayers, and, therefore, that they cannot help us 
in any way. 

75. Because the church has always opposed the liberty of the 
press, the liberty of speech and even the liberty of thought. 

y6. Because I consider it blasphemy to call the pope ''king 
of kings and lord of lords." 

yy. Because the church that has used the chain, the thumb- 
screw, the virgin crib, the fagot to make people give up their 
religious convictions, cannot be the church of Christ. 

78. Because I believe that no church has a right to make 
slaves of those who desire to worship God according to their 
own consciences. 

79. Because I believe that civil laws are binding on the con- 
science of every subject of the nation, whether these laws be 
comfortable to the teachings of Rome or not. 

80. Because I cannot persuade myself to believe that the 
laws of the land are null and void, in that they do not agree with 
the laws of the Roman Catholic church. 

81. Because I believe that no church has power to absolve 
its members from oaths and their allegiance to the civil gov- 
ernment. 

82. Because the church teaches that she has the power to 
alter all civil laws that are opposed to equity. 

83. Because it is cheaper and safer to go in spirit to confes- 
sion to God than to have recourse to the priest for remission. 

84. Because the church warns the people through the con- 
fessional to have no intercourse whatever with those who once 
belonged to her faith. 

85. Because the church loves authority better than truth; 
and form more than spirit. 

86. Because through all history she has proved herself the 
mother of ignorance, intolerance and superstition. 

87. Because she has added to, and taken from, the Word 
of God. 

88. Because her teaching is calculated to encourage sin and 
induce to unholy living. 

89. Because I never knew the church to cut off a member 



HIS SnCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 281 

for violating any of the ten commandments, but know of her 
to persecute unto death those who persisted in worshiping 
God according to the dictates of conscience. 

90. Because I have been ashamed of church history and the 
very immoral lives of a large number of the popes of Rome. 

91. Because I saw more light in the common people of the 
Protestant churches than I have seen in the clergy of the Roman 
Catholic Church. 

92. Because I have found in the church as much, if not more, 
drunkenness, violence, deception, blasphemy, desecration of 
the Sabbath, and all manner of uncleanHness, than I ever found 
in any equal number of people of the world. 

93. Because I have found that forbidding to marry, to eat 
meat on Fridays, to abstain from honest industry on certain 
church days — to discipline the body with whips to make it obey 
the soul, etc., are Pagan inventions, and should be exterminat- 
ed from among civilized beings. 

94. Because I find that wearing vestments, saying mass, 
blessing beads and water, burning incense and candles, pray- 
ing to saints and angels are also of Pagan origin. The same 
being practiced until this day by Indians, Chinese and aboriginal 
savages. 

95. Because there is no pope in the Bible. 

96. Because the pope's doctrine and St. Peter's don't agree. 

97. Because the church teaches that no man has a right to 
choose his religion. 

98. Because nearly all of the Romish doctrines are establish- 
ed by men, and of recent date, as anyone may see from history. 

99. Because I find the church to be a political organization, 
instead of an assembly embracing the people of God. 

100. Because, it is a secret society full of peril to the nation, 
loi. Because the Roman Catholic church is to-day what she 

always was, the intolerant, bloodthirsty tiger. On her own tes- 
timony she cannot change — ''ets semper eadem." That is, 
*'She is always the same." 



VI. 

AWFVL DEEDS OF PRIESTS IN 

THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



(Note: — All the "Interviews" appearing in this work on the Philippines are 
taken from U. S. Senate Document, No. 190, headed "Church Lands in the 
Philippines: Report of the Taft Commission. Signed: William McKinley, 
President." The genuineness of this work can therefore not be disputed 
when it is backed by the U. S. Government itself. The questions were asked 
by the members of the Philippine Commission and answered by the witnesses 
subpoenaed.) 

ROMISH RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



Pay Grave Rent or Have Your Bones Dug Up. — Penny Chromos Sold 
by Priests at Twelve Dollars. — The Natives Give a Murderous Priest 
His Just Dues. — Stealing Millions from the People and State. — How 

. a School Teacher Lost His Job. 

The discovery, conquest, and subsequent government of the 
archipelago have been rehgious enterprises. The history of 
the friar domination has been a chronicle of intrigue, oppres- 
sion, loot, assassination, lust and treachery. 

These religious orders, sworn to poverty, now own, or claim 
to own, everything in the islands worth owning or claiming. 
The whole people, goaded with revolt, were in a state of rebel- 
lion which was on the point of being successful. 

The dominant religious brotherhood of the PhiHppines are 
the Augustinians, the Dominicans, the Franciscans and the 
Jesuits, the three former orders are made up of bunches of ig- 
norance drawn from the lower walks of life. Only the Jesuits 
lay any claim to more than the most meagre education. But 
in rascality the Jesuits are more to be feared, for the very 
reason of their superior education. 

Not all of the tenant's earnings get into the hands of the 
church as rent. The natives would likely rebel at that; but 
he must pay baptismal fees, confirmation fees, coffin tax, burial 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 283 

fees, and an annual rental for his grave. Should he get five 
years behind on his grave rent, the cowled ghouls dig up his 
bones and throw them on the scrapheap back of the church. 
The native must also buy of the church a ''cedula" every year, 
which is nothing but a certificate that the holder is a live man 
and not a corpse. The priests peddle among the people at, 
exorbitant rates, books, chaplets, papal bulls, indulgences, 
benedictions and pictures. 

At the place where I boarded in Manila, the landlady, an 
excellent Spanish matron, showed me a cheap lithograph 
which she had purchased of her priest for $12. It had been 
^'blessed." In America lithographs of equal value are given 
away with cans of baking powder, boxes of soap, and even with 
Sunday issues of metropolitan newspapers. 

A case came to my personal knowledge of a wealthy Fili- 
pino who had six legal wives, all married to him by the same 
priest, and all living in the same parish, though in different 
houses. Whenever the Fihpino wished to take aboard another 
wife, he bought the necessary indulgence from his priest, pay- 
ing a good round sum for the same. I was told that forty- 
eight children reported at the periodical ''roundups" of this re- 
markable fanaily. Just so, gold when judiciously used, is le- 
gal tender for any indulgence from the church for almost any 
sort of rascality. 

The ability to produce homemade indulgence is of great 
personal benefit to the priests, and has served many a good 
turn. Scarce twenty years ago Father Piernavieja, a priest 
at San Miguel, murdered a youth and, later, a young girl who 
was found to be enceinte. Exposure did not lead to pun- 
ishment, but to his being transferred to Cavite where he con- 
tinued to celebrate the holy sacrament of the eucharist. Later 
he was made a bishop ; but his continued outrages upon the 
natives led to his horrible death four years ago. His native 
victims bound the clerical monster to a post and left him to 
die in the sun. 

It is now generally conceded that it was the friars who mur- 
dered General Solano in i860 and Zamora, bishop-elect of Ce- 




FILIPINO GRAYEYAED. 

If the grave rent is not paid for five years the Priests dig 
up the bones and throw them on the "scrapheap" 
back of the Church. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 285 

bu, in 1873. These men had incurred the hostihty of the re- 
ligious orders, and mysteriously disappeared. 

It was not long ago that the parish priest of Santa Cruz in- 
duced his flock to protest against his being promoted to be 
prior of Manila. The real motive of the priest was that he had 
been successful in recruiting a very desirable harem at Santa 
Cruz, and did not wish to leave his women. These are but in- 
cidents in the holy life of these holy men. 

In 1866 a wealthy Spaniard died and bequeathed his fortune 
to establish the San Lazaro Hospital for the care of lepers. 
The government granted in addition a large tract of land in- 
cluding 1,464 city lots in Tondo, Manila. This property now 
yields an annual revenue of 30,000 pesos. The friars were 
permitted to run the establishment, and are now trying to es- 
tablish their claim with the American authorities that the en- 
tire property is among their personal belongings. 

INTERVIEW WITH SENOR DON FELIPE' CALDERON. 



Priests Who Came from the Lowest Class of Society. — Punished for 
Indecent Expressions in the Presence of Ladies. — The Rule for a 
Priest to Have a Mistress and Children. — A "Poor" Priest Worth 
Forty Thousand Dollars. — Holy Priests as Rare as a Snow Bird in 
Summer. — A Fanatical Catholic People to Deal With. 

Oct. 17, 1900. 

Q. How long have you lived in the PhiHppines? 

A. Thirty years — just my age — except for a period of eight 
months, when I made a few trips in the British possessions. 

Q. In what part of the islands have you lived? 

A. I was born in the province of Cavite and was educated in 
Manila, but I have been through nearly all the Tagalog prov- 
inces of Luzon. I have resided in Manila, you might say, con- 
tinuously, with the exception of a few trips to Batangas. 

Q. Mrs. Calderon came from Batangas? 

A.' Yes. 

Q. And you visited your wife's relatives? 

A. Yes. 

Q. How much personal opportunity had you before the year 



286 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

1896 to observe the relations between the friars and the people 
of their parishes in a religious, social, and political way? 

A. Much; because I have lived, as I have said, in Manila 
nearly all my life, and in view of the conditions prevailing here, 
where the friar is intimately connected with all the social, po- 
litical, and other life, I have been able to judge of him in all 
those three lines ; and the same may be said of the provinces. 

Q. How many friars have you known personally — a good 
many ? 

A. Very many. In the first place I have known nearly all 
the Jesuits, because I was educated by them, but I may add 
that the Jesuits are not friars. I have known nearly all the 
friars of Santo Tomas, beginning with Archbishop Nozaleda, 
who was one of my professors. 

Q. And you have the degree of the university? 

A. Like all the other lawyers here, because there was no 
other college. All professional men received their degrees 
from that university, because it was the only one. 

Q. What class of society were the friars drawn from in 
Spain? 

A. I cannot state of my own knowledge, but quoting the 
friars themselves and persons who have traveled extensively 
in Spain, I should say that they came from the lowest orders 
of society; and this is corroborated by the fact that the ma- 
jority, if not all of them, when they first come, have not the 
sHghtest conception of social forms or etiquette, and it might 
be said they have the hair of the dog on them. 

Q. Were there not a good many well educated friars? 

A. The fact is that they are almost totally unconscious of 
proper social forms. They act indecently, and use indecent 
expressions in the presence of ladies in public to such an ex- 
tent that I was forced on one occasion to throw out a friar who 
was not only using indecent language, but acting indecently in 
the presence of my wife. Educated men there are among them, 
but nearly all of them lack social polish, which corroborates 
the fact that they are from the lowest orders. 

Q. What fees were actually collected by the parish priests 
for marriages and births ? • 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 287 

A. There really existed a schedule of fees, which was pro- 
mulgated by an archbishop named Don Balio Sancho de Santo 
Justa y Rufina. That schedule is still in force, and is posted in 
the cathedral now, but that schedule of fees was never carried 
out, and every friar charged just what he thought best. I 
don't make this statement from hearsay, but from personal 
knowledge, because I was a member of a society whose pur- 
pose it was to bring about marriages between those who were 
living together but were unmarried, and I have personally wit- 
nessed many weddings where the fees were always far beyond 
the legal schedule, and in all the long time that I have been a 
member of this society I have never yet found "a single case 
where the friar has condoned or exempted the party from 
payment of fees, when he knew that most of the marriages 
were conducted under the auspices of the society and that the 
fees were paid by the society. 

Q. Now as to the morality of the friars, have you had much 
opportunity to observe as to this? 

A. Considerable, from my earliest youth. With respect to 
their morality in general, it was such a common thing to see 
children of friars that no one ever paid any attention to it or 
thought of it, and so depraved had the people become in this 
regard that the women who were the mistresses of friars 
really felt great pride in it and had no compunction in speaking 
of it. So general had this thing become that it may be said 
that even now the rule is for a friar to have a mistress and 
children, and he who is not is the rare exception, and if it is de- 
sired that I give names, I could cite right now one hundred 
children of friars. 

Q. In Manila or in the provinces? 

A. In Manila and in the provinces. Everywhere. Many of 
my sweethearts have been daughters of friars. 

Q. Are the friars living in the islands still who have had 
those children? 

Q. Yes ; and I can give their names if necessary, and I can 
give the names of the children, too. Beginning with myself, 
my mother is the daughter of a Franciscan friar. I do not 



288 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

dishonor myself by saying this, because my family begins with 
myself. 

Q. I will be much obliged for a list? 

A. I can give it to you right now: In Pandascan, Isidro 
Mendoza, son of the Bishop Pedro Payo, when he was the 
parish curate of the Pueblo of Samar; in Imus, the wife of 
Cayetano Topazio, daughter of a Recolecto friar of Mindoro; 
in Zambales, Louise Lasaca, now in Zambales, and several sis- 
ters and brothers were children of Friar Benito Tutor, a Reco- 
lecto friar in Bulacan ; in Quirgua I can not remember the last 
name, the first name is Manuela, a godchild of my mother, is a 
daughter of an Augustinian friar named Alvaro ; in Cavite, 
a certain Patrocinio Berjes is a daughter of Friar Rivas, a 
Dominican friar; Colonel Aguillar, who is on the Spanish 
board of liquidation, is the son of Father Ferrer, an Augustin- 
ian monk. 

Q. How do you know these things? 

A. In some cases through family relations, others because 
they were godchildren of my father, and others I became pos- 
sessed of the facts through being attorney. I myself have 
acted as godfather for three children of friars. I am now man- 
aging an estate of $40,000 that came from a friar for his three 
children. A family lives with me who are all the children of 
friars. 

Q. Dr. Gonzales was the son of a friar, was he not? 

A. Yes; I didn't care to mention him. Referring to this 
matter, I must recognize that we ought to be thankful to the 
friars, because they have bettered our race. 

Q. That was not the subject, was it, of great condemnation 
by the people? 

A. By no means. 

Q. It was a kind of departure from the cehbacy, wasn't 
that it? 

A. It was merely an infraction of the canonical law. 

Q. It was not a general licentiousness on the part of the 
friars ? 

A. It was a general licentiousness, because, as I have said, 
the exception as to the rule among the friars was not to have a 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 289 

mistress and be the father of children by her. The friar who 
. was not mixed up with a woman in some way or other was Hke 
a snowbird in summer, but it must be confessed that for the 
past ten years they have improved somewhat in this regard. 

Q. How do they compare with the native clergy in this 
matter? 

A. To tell the truth, they almost run together, although it 
must be said also that the latter, the native priests, are not so 
bare-faced about it. They have a certain fear. But in this re- 
gard, they were merely following the general rule and the gen- 
eral example. 

Q. That \YOuld seem to indicate that the immorality of the 
friars is not the chief ground of the hostility of the people 
against them, would it not? 

A. That is not, by any means, because the moral sense of the 
whole people here had been absolutely perverted. So fre- 
quent were these infractions of the moral laws on the part of 
the friars that really no one ever cared or took any notice of 
them; and this acquiescence on the part of the people was 
imposed upon them, for woe be unto him who should even 
murmur anything against the friars, and even the young Fili- 
pino women had their senses perverted, because when attend- 
ing school they had often and often seen the friars come in to 
speak to their openly avowed daughters, who often were their 
own playmates. 

Q. Is it not a fact that the hostiHty against the friars does 
exist ? 

A. Certainly. 

O. It is confined to the educated classes? 

A. It extends to even the lowest classes, but the case with 
the lower classes is that they are a great deal like a private 
soldier. They can not avow it, for they fear that they will be 
treated very harshly. 

O. Do not the friars still retain a good deal of influence 
among the women of the lower class and of the higher, too ? 

A. Only to a slight degree. This is due to the fact that 
they see in the friar a minister of their own religion, and that 
naturally calls for certain respect. 



290 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Q. I suppose the women here, as the women everywhere, 
are more reHgious than the men? 

A. Of course; and besides, they are not possessed of a 
great many details of an indecent character, of which the men 
are possessed. 

Q. What do you think of the estabHshment of a pubHc- 
school system allowing half an houi* before or half an hour 
after school for religious instruction? Would that satisfy the 
Catholics of the Island? 

A. So long as the instruction was only in the Catholic re- 
ligion, of course. / 

Q. The instruction would not be by the -public-school 
teacher. The opportunity would be given to everyone; but 
as there would be none there but priests, I suppose the Catho- 
lics would be the only ones to go. The children would only 
go and receive the instruction that their parents desired. 

A. I have always entertained the idea that the separation 
of church and state in this island is one of the most difficult 
undertakings. Possibly it is the most arduous problem that 
there is here, and I believe that the estabHshment of free re- 
Hgious instruction would produce a bad effect on the people. 

Q. You do not quite understand the system I mean. Under 
the Constitution of the United States it is not possible for us 
to spend any public money for any .religious instruction, but 
the Catholic clergy seem to feel that instruction ought to be 
accompanied by reHgious instruction. Now, then, if we give 
to the Catholic priest the opportunity to go and meet the pu- 
pils, either before or after the regular curriculum, for half an 
hour or an hour as he sees fit to give them instruction, will that 
act meet the desires of the people for the union of education 
and religion? 

A. It would be satisfactory to the people, provided it were 
only the Catholic priests who went there. 

Q. I am glad to get your opinion, for it is a very difficult 
question. 

A. It is the most arduous question in these interrogatories 
and presents the gravest problem, for we are treating with a 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED . 291 

fanatical Catholic people, and then, besides, we are confronted 
by a grossly ignorant people. 

Q. Tending some of them to fetichism? 

A. Yes. The fact is that the people at large have not 
grasped the true inspiration of Catholicism — it is tinsel daz- 
zling before their eyes. Certain things come up and immedi- 
ately the people turn over to fetichism and idolatry. There 
is a sect called the Colorum — in the provinces of Batangas, 
lyaguna, Mindoro, and Tayabas — which has more than a hun- 
dred thousand proselytes, which is an adulteration of the third 
order of St. Francis admixed with ancient idolatries, and that 
is the real cause of the tremendous fanaticism that exists in 
those four provinces. It is not confined to these four — it is 
pretty general. 

Q. Does it not need the influence of a cultivated clergy? 

A. That is true if you were treating of a people who could 
understand you. What you need here is not a great knowl- 
edge, but to attract them by the affection. You cannot thrust 
aside or obliterate all these notions by any cold reason. 

Q. No ; but a cultivated, high-toned clergy that was well- 
educated, could not but exercise a good influence if they used 
common sense in a communit}^ like that. 

A. That is very true ; but if the people don't take kindly to 
that clergy, the problem is still unsolved. 

Q. What do you think about introducing American clergy 
here? 

A. It depends entirely upon how they conduct themselves. 

Q. Now as to the effect of the government either buying or 
exappropriating the agricultural property of the friars and sell- 
ing it out in small parcels, and using the proceeds for a school 
fund — do you think that a practicable idea? 

A. That is practicable, and the only solution to the problem, 
and that would also solve the agrarian and social aspect of the 
revolution. 

Q. Is not that, so far as it relates to the friars, confined to 
the provinces of Cavite, Batangas, Manila, and Bulacan? I 
mean largely? 



292 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

A. Yes; where the friars have haciendas; but still it has 
spread somewhat to other provinces where they hold no land, 
but it is of little importance. 

INTERVIEW WITH JOSE RODEBIGUES INFANTE. 



One Priest Nearly Got a Wkole Community Into Jail. — Could Live 
Forever by Being Baptized by a Priest. — To Swell the Taxes They 
Bobbed the Cradle and the Grave. — Immorality of the Priests Was 
General. — Priests Delighted in Witnessing Tortures of Men in Prison. 

October i8, 1900. 

Q. How long have you lived in the PhiHppines? 

A. I have resided here all my life — thirty-six years — with 
the exception of twenty months, when I made a tour of the 
world — America, France, Switzerland, etc. I made this tour 
during the years 1893 and 1894. 

Q. You were educated at the University of Santo Thomas? 

A. Yes; and I have my legal degree from there also. 

Q. Have you practiced law? 

A. As I had inherited a little money from my father and 
some plantations, I thought that the legal profession would 
not add much to my income, and so I have not practiced law. 

Q. You did, however, take a full course in law? 

A. Yes; and I am a licentiate of laws. 

Q. And you have, since reaching manhood, with the excep- 
tion of the twenty months spent in travel, managed haciendas 
in the province of Pampanga? 

A. I commenced to manage the estate of my father in the 
year 1888. 

Q. And you have been familiar with everything that went 
on in Pampagna, and generally in Luzon? 

A. I am well acquainted with the conditions prevailing in 
the province of Pampagna and also in the Visayas. During 
the Spanish regime persons who had a high social position and 
were well educated, were not looked upon with any great fa- 
vor by the Spaniards. If they traveled they were charged 
with being filibusters or with desiring to disrupt the public or- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 293 

der and Spanish control, and consequently I have spent most 
of my time in my own province and between that and Manila. 

Q. Have you been in the Visayas ; and if so, did you spend 
some time there ? 

A. I only know of the Visayas by hearsay. 

O. Have you had considerable opportunity to observe the 
relations between the friars and the people of their parishes in 
a religious, social and political way? 

A. In my own province. 

O. This was before the year 1896? 

A. Yes, sir. I have had very many opportunities to observe 
the relations existing between the parish friars and their flocks, 
not only in the province of Pampagna, but also in Bulacan, 
where I have a large number of friends whom I have often vis- 
ited. 

Q. Have you known a good many friars personally? 

A. I have not known very many because I have no very 
great leaning toward them, but I have known a number. 

Q. Do 3^ou know what class of society they were drawn 
from in Spain? 

A. I do not know a large number, but I have heard from a 
very good source that a very large majority of them are Astu- 
rians from the mountains of Spain. 

Q. Do the different orders differ at all in this respect? 

A. I really had no chance to judge, except of the Jesuits, 
because they were my teachers, and of the Augustinians, of 
which order the friars in my province are, and one Recolleto 
friar in Montalban, province of Manila, who very nearly got 
us all into jail up there in the year 1886. 

Q. Do you know anything about the property owned by 
the friars in the Philippines? 

A. I can only state that from trustworthy sources I have 
heard that they own a great deal of landed property, and I have 
myself visited three or four of their estates, at Imus, Malinta, 
and Lyolomboy. On these estates I have been even in the 
manor houses, but I do not know the extent of their holdings, 
Q. They have none in Pampanga? 
A. Thej^ have not even one foot of land in Pampangai 




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HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 295 

Q. What in Pampanga did the friars do in the way of polit- 
ical control of the town? 

A. In the first place they had direct intervention in what 
might be called the private life of every individual. If they 
desired that he live at ease, he could live uninterrupted in the 
pursuit of his occupations ; if they did not, they could make 
his life a torment. The friars directed most of their attention, 
if not all of it, to those persons in each pueblo who were of the 
upper class by reason of their property or education — such as 
did not need the friars to aid them in any of their plans. The 
friars usually watched these people very closely so as to dis- 
cover any way at all in which to either get land or money from 
them by making accusations against them. The methods 
pursued by the friars in the pueblos to show their prowess to 
the gobernadorcillos was something after this fashion : When 
a new gobernadorcillo was named, the friars would go to the 
provincial governor and say that he ought to impose a fine on 
the gobernadorcillo because he did not keep the roads within 
his jurisdiction in a proper condition. Acting upon this, the 
provincial governor would impose the fine, and the goberna- 
dorcillo would apply to the parish friar to intercede for him 
with the governor. This the friar would do, asking the pro- 
vincial governor to remit the fine, which he would do. In this 
way the friar would ingratiate himself with the gobernador- 
cillo, and also show to him what a power he had over all the 
political authorities. If the friar happened to be at outs with 
the provincial governor, he would utilize his influence over 
the gobernadorcillo to the end that the latter would show him 
all the orders that he received from the provincial governor 
before he executed the same, and if any of these orders met 
his views, he would instruct the gobernadorcillo to obey them ; 
if not, he would tell him to pay no attention to them. If mat- 
ters came to a crisis, the friar would advise the gobernador- 
cillo to either take to the \voods, or to come to Manila and be- 
come a gue^ of the monastery of his order there, and then 
he would prepare charges against the provincial governor and 
have it signed by all the principal people in the pueblo. An- 
other method of the friars related to the collection of X\i^\x f^f S 



296 THB DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

or stipends. They formed all the lists of the population of 
their different districts from the parish baptismal register, and 
purposely avoided any reference to the death register; conse- 
quently, whoever was baptized in that place could live forever, 
and was returned always as being alive and a resident of that 
place, even though he had died or moved, and he compelled 
the cabezas bananga}^, who were the tax collectors, to turn 
over to them their stipend based upon these public returns, 
and if they failed to turn the stipends over on the ground that 
no such population existed, they were put in jail through the 
friars and bereft of their position. The basis for the payment 
of the stipend to the curates in former times was the popula- 
tion, and every year a list of the population was made up os- 
tensibly by the gobernadorcillo, but the only statistics there 
were in these pueblos were the parish registers kept by the 
friars, and the friars compelled the gobernadorcillos, therefore, 
to come to them and let them vise the lists that were sent in 
to the provincial governor, and naturally increased them so as 
to increase salary. 

Q. So to swell the taxes they robbed the cradle and the 
grave ? 

A. They augmented the cradle but diminished the grave. 
The friars had a system of blackmail by which they held the 
rod over all the citizens of a pueblo, about whose habits and 
closet skeletons they learned through making little girls of 
from five to six and seven years of age, who could barely 
speak, and who were naturally and must have been sinless, 
come to the confessional and relate to them everything they 
knew of the private life in their own homes and in places that 
they might visit. 

Q. Did they take an active part in the improvements or 
whatever was done in the town ? 

A. It may be said that they had full directions and charge 
of all the public works in their different jurisdictions, except 
such as were of a nature demanding the supervision of a corps 
of engineers under the board of public works at Manila, who 
were always Spaniards, naturally, to direct the public works in 
thje, pueblos ; th^j alway§ h^-d to live in the convent with the 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 297 

friars so as to get into their good graces, for if they did not, 
the friars would report them as being dereHct in their duty or 
with misappropriating funds. 

Q. What can you say about the fees collected by the priests 
for marriages, etc. ? 

A. I cannot state positively what the fees charged are, but 
I can say that they are very heavy, and always increasing, be- 
cause I have to pay the birth, marriage, and burial fees of all of 
my tenants and servants, and they are charged on an ever- 
increasing scale. The slightest improvement made to a 
church or convent is used as a pretext for enormously increas- 
ing these fees. The fees are very burdensome to the landed 
proprietor, for the Filipino, unfortunately, when he gets an 
idea, acts on it without caring for the consequences, and if he 
feels like getting married, even though he is very poor, he will 
get married and have children, for all of which his landlord has 
to pay. 

Q. What do you know about the morality or immorality of 
the friars? 

A. Too much. I have nothing to add to what Senor Calde- 
ron says, save cite some more names. 

Q. Have you known a good many young women and young 
men who were the reputed daughters and sons of friars? 

A. I have known a great many, and now have living on my 
own estate six children of a friar. 

O. Were all the friars licentious? 

A. I believe that they all are. 

Q. Do you think that was the ground of hostility against 
the friars? 

A. No, sir; Caesarism was. Everything was dependent 
upon them, and I may say that even the process of eating was 
under their supervision. Naturally their immorality had a 
slight influence in the case, but it becama so common that it 
passed unnoticed. 

Q. Does the hostility exist against all the orders? 

A. Only against the four: The Augustinians in my prov- 
ince, the Recolletos, the Dominicans — it existed against the 



298 THB DHVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Dominicans in Pangasinan, for I have heard people Hving 
there speak of it when I visited them — and the Franciscans. 

Q. Why did it exist against the four and not against the 
Jesuit, PauHst Fathers and Benedictines? 

A. Because the latter not having any parishes, the people 
did not know whether they were the same or not; although 
we know historically that the Jesuits are the worst, but we 
have never had any palpable evidence. 

Q. You have never heard charges of immorality against the 
Jesuits ? 

A. No. 

Q. Was this feeling in Pampanga against the friars con- 
fined to the leading men in each town, to four or five, or did it 
permeate the lower classes? 

A. In former times only the upper class would express their 
opinions with respect to the friars, but since the friars have 
left their curacies, the pent-up feeHng of all classes of society 
is expressed, and the murders of priests and the attacks upon 
priests which have recently occurred, are due entirely to the 
lower classes of society, and not even connived at or instigated 
by the upper classes. 

Q. Charges have been made against the friars that they 
caused deportations of FiHpinos. Do you know of such in- 
stances? 

A. Yes, sir. In my own province it was seen that the large 
majority of the friars, and more especially the now deceased 
friar Antonio Brabo, had great influence in the deportation of 
many influential citizens, as also in the incarceration of several 
of them in order to subsequently have them released so as to 
show their power with the authorities. I, myself, at the insti- 
gation of the friars, have been the victim of their machina- 
tions, for they wanted me sent to Manila to be criminally pros- 
ecuted ; but thanks to the governor and to my father-in-law, 
who is a European, I escaped. 

Q. It is charged, also, that they were guilty of physical cru- 
elty to their own members and others. What do you know 
about it? 

A. They were cruel, not only in their treatment of their 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 299 

servants by beating- them, but they also took great dehght in 
being eyewitnesses to tortures and beatings of men in prisons 
and jails by the civil authorities. They were always, when 
witnessing these acts, accompanied by some of the higher 
Spanish authorities, and these acts were usually carried out 
at the instigation of the friars. One of the proofs that my 
own province behaved better than all the others — because it 
was under the governorship of Senor Canovas, who was a just 
man — is that it was the last to rise up in arms against Spain. 

Q. What have you to say to the morality of the native 
priests as compared to that of the friars? 

A. They are about on an even footing. All these priests 
now of^ciating have the same vices, and when you take into 
-account that they were purposely kept from following their 
natural bent to obtain an education by the friars, in order to 
show the Pope that there was a natural want of capacity in the 
Filipino, it can be seen why they became easy tools of the 
Spanish priests and great mimics of them in their loose life. 
This design to keep native priests from gaining a good educa- 
tion began in 1872. 

Q. Did all of the friars change for the worse about that 
time? 

A. I am informed that they were bad before that time. 

INTERVIEW WITH SENOR NOZARIO CONSTANTINO OF BI- 

GAN, PROVINCE OF BULACAN, NOW RESIDING 

IN MANILA. 



Priests Assume the Cloak of Religion to Gain a Living". — Wives Taken 
Away from Their Husbands by Priests. — A General Hatred of the 
Priests Exists Among the People. — A Skeleton in a Closet Revealed. 

October 19, 1900. 

Q. How long have you lived in the Philippines? 

A. I was born here, and I am now fifty-eight, never having 
left the islands. 

Q. Where were you born? 

A. In Bigan, but when I became a lawyer I came down to 
live in Manila. 



300 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Q. Have you been in the habit of going back to Bulacan? 

A. Constantly. All my interests and lands are there. 

Q. How much personal opportunity had you before 1896 
to know the relations, and the social, religious, and political 
attitude of the friars towards the people and the people toward 
the friars? 

A. I have had many opportunities. What the friars acting 
as parish priests have done for many years prior to 1896 is to 
commit flagrant abuses both in their private and public life. 

Q. Have you known many friars personally? 

A. I have known a great many. 

Q. Do you know what class of society they were generally 
drawn from in Spain? 

A. I do not know. Some of them show they have received 
a fair education, but many others show that they only came 
over here under the cloak of religion to gain a living. 

Q. What was the morality of the friars? 

A. There was no morality whatever, and the story of the 
immorality would take too long to recount. Great immoral- 
ity and corruption. (I desire to say here that speaking thus 
frankly about the habits of the priests, the witnesses would fear 
that they might be persecuted by the priest if it should ever 
get out what they were saying here.) 

Judge Taft. I don't expect to pubHsh it. I expect to use 
it to make a report to the commission. 

Q. Have you known of the children of friars being about 
in Bulacan? 

A. Yes, sir. About the year 1840 and the year '50 every 
friar curate in the province of Bulacan had his concubine. 
Dr. Joaquin Gonzales was the son of a curate of Baliuag, and 
he has three sisters here and another brother, all children of 
the same friar. We do not look upon this as a discredit to a 
man. 

The multitude of friars who came here from 1876 to 1896 
and 1898 were all of the same kind, and to name the number 
of children that they have would take up an immense lot of 
space. There was a case, for instance, of the governor of the 
province of Bulacan (and I know whereof I speak, for I have 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 30 1 

practiced law there for many years), who was named Canova 
and he was a man who was very strict in the performance of 
his official duty — an honest and an upright man. He endeav- 
ored to put a stop to the deportations of the friars, and they 
combined and called upon him in a body and asked him in a 
threatening manner if he desired to remain as governor of 
that province. He told them to go to hell ; and they said. 
Now, if you don't want to stay here you better ask to be trans- 
ferred to another province, because if you don't leave volun- 
tarily you will not remain here three months longer. A very 
short time after that he had to leave. 

Q. Did not the people become so accustomed to the re- 
lations which the friars had with the women that it really played 
very little part in their hostility to the friars, assuming that the 
hostility did exist? 

A. That contributed somewhat to the hostility of the peo- 
ple, and they carried things in this regard with a very high 
hand, for if they should desire the wife or daughter of a man. 
and the husband opposed such advances, they would endeavor 
to have the man deported by bringing up false charges of be- 
ing a filibuster or a Mason, and after succeeding in getting rid 
of the husband, they would, by foul or fair means, accomplish 
their purposes, and I will cite a case that actually happened to 
us. It was the case of a first cousin of mine. Dona Sopance, 
who married a girl from Baliuag and went to live in Agonoy, 
and there the local friar curate who was pursuing his wife got 
him the position as registrar of the church in order to have 
him occupied in order that he might continue his advances 
with the wife. He was fortunate in this undertaking and suc- 
ceeded in getting the wife away from the husband, and after- 
wards had the husband deported to Puerto Princesa, near Jolo, 
where he was shot as an insurgent, and the friar continued to 
live with the widow and she bore him children. The friar's 
name is Jose Martin, an Augustinian friar. 

Q. Is he still in the islands? 

A. He was an old man, and he has gone over to Spain. 
This was in the year 1891, 1892, or perhaps 1893. 

Q. I want to ask you whether thediostility against the friars 



302 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

is confined to the educated and the better element among the 
people? 

A. It permeates all classes of society, and principally the 
lower, for they can do nothing. The upper class, by reason 
of their education, can stand them off better than the lower 
classes, and this is the reason that the friars don't want the 
public to become educated. 

Q. Do the friars still retain any influence over the women 
of the lower orders? 

A. Over some very fanatical women, yes. 

Q. But you think that feeling is not general among them? 

A. The hatred is general. • The commission may find the 
proof of this by sending a trustworthy man to every pueblo in 
the archipelago to ask of the inhabitants if they want a friar 
curate, and all of them will answer no. 

Q. Does the feeling exist against all the orders? 

A. Yes, against all the orders; but of course principally 
against all the orders who have acted as curates. Of course, 
it is true there can be no great hatred of those who have re- 
mained in their cloisters and have not had an opportunity to 
commit the acts. 

Q. I have understood feeling against the Jesuits, Paulists, 
and Benedictines did not exist generally? 

A. Up to this time I know nothing of them, because they 
have not occupied any of the curacies, but I have understood 
that where the Jesuits have occupied there have been some of 
them prone to commit abuses. 

Q. Do you know of other cases of deportations by the 
friars ? 

A. Many, a very great many deportations, but I can not 
trace absolutely to the friars all these deportations, for they 
are very skillful in throwing the stones and hiding the hand; 
but there has been a large number of deportations that were 
due to no other known cause but the friars, for no other ani- 
mosity, except on the part of the friars, existed against the 
parties deported. 

Q. What about the morality of the native priests as com- 
pared with the friars? 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 303 

A. There is no comparison at all. Even when the native 
priest, following in the footsteps of his teacher, commits 
abuses and immorahties, he does it less openly or shamelessly 
than the friar. One of the great reasons for the objections to 
the friar is that the spirit of union and solidarity which holds 
their religious communities together prevents punishment 
from being visited upon the unworthy. If I were to go to the 
provincial of an order and lodge charges of heinous offenses 
against the curate of my pueblo he would say, "I will fix that," 
and eternity would pass before it was fixed ; and in some cases 
where outrageous conduct has been charged against the cur- 
ate, and public opinion was unanimous in crying for condign 
punishment against the culprit, the provincial has arranged the 
matter by taking the culprit away from that town and sending 
him to a better one. This is public and notorious. In this 
very case that I spoke of, of Friar Jose Martin with my first 
cousin, the latter went to Archbishop Nozaleda with letters 
which had passed between the friar and his wife. The letters 
were written in cipher understood only by the woman and the 
friar, and with locks of his hair and his photograph, which had 
been sent to his wife. My cousin wanted him to discipline 
this man and prevent him from encroaching upon his house^ 
hold. Archbishop Nozaleda said that the case was within the 
jurisdiction of the vicar of the province, residing at Baliuac, 
and that was the end of the case. Nothing was ever done by 
the archbishop or the vicar, except, as I have said before, the 
husband was deported to Puerto Princessa. I desire to say 
that this has never been published. It is a skeleton in a closet. 

INTERVIEW WITH MAXIMO VIOLA, OF SAN MIGUEL DE 

MAYUMO. 



A Physician's Interesting Disclosures of Life Among- the People and 
Priests. — Priests Controlling the Election. — The Torments of Hell 
and Consequences of an Evil Life. — Corpses Allowed to Rot When 
Fees Were Missing. — Never Saw a Pure Priest. 

October 20, 1900. 
Q. Were you born in the Phihppines? 
A. Yes. 



3C4 ^^^ DHVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Q. In what part of the islands have you Hved? 

A. Except the time I spent in Europe to finish my educa- 
tion (a Httle over four years) I have Hved nearly the whole 
time in the province of Bulacan. 

Q. About what is your age? 

A. I am 43 years old. 

Q. What is your profession? 

A. I am a physician. 

Q. You studied in France? 

A. Principally in Spain, although I have been in France, 
Germany and Austria. 

Q. What years were you in Vienna? 

A. In the year 1887. 

Q. Have you practiced your profession in Bulacan? 

A. I have practiced my profession constantly from the lat- 
ter part of 1887 until 1894 in Bulacan, when through persecu- 
tion of the friars I was driven to Manila, where I remained 
practicing until 1899, then returning to Bulcan, where I con- 
tinued to practice. 

Q. How far is San Miguel de Mayumo from here? 

A. There are two ways of getting there : One is by going 
by train from Manila to Calumpit and from there by steamer 
to Candaba, and from Candaba to San Miguel in banca; the 
other way is to go from Manila to Calumpit by train, to Bula- 
can in carromata, about eight hours for the whole trip, or four 
hours the last part. I came in August, and on account of the 
conditions caused by rains I was five days in banca. 

Q. How much opportunity did you have to know the do- 
ings and lives of the friars in the Philippines before 1896? 

A. I was the physician of some friars. I have also had re- 
lations with all the friars who have been in my town and also 
in neighboring towns. 

Q. I suppose your practice is generally through the prov- 
ince? 

A. Yes, sir; and even extends to adjoining provinces and 
in Nueva Ecija also. 

Q. They say the knowledge of a physician of the inner life 



' ' HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 305 

of the people is more intimate than that of any other profes- 



sion 



? 



A. Naturally. Hence I shall only make references to their 
public life, for their private and secret life is professional in 
its nature. 

Q. Do you know from what class of society the friars were 
drawn in Spain? 

A. In Spain I knew several friars who were sons of poor 
families with a large number of children, and who, in order to 
get a profession and a livelihood, would go to the theological 
seminaries attached to the convents. In these seminaries they 
begin with the rudiments of an education until they are gradu- 
ated, but they never see anybody except fellow friars, and have 
no touch with the world, and the only thing they know in the 
way of treatment is the treatment of the superior to the in- 
ferior. When they come over they become despots, and they 
understand no other relation. 

Q. Have you any particular information about the agricul- 
tural property owned by the friars? 

A. Yes, sir. For instance, the hacienda of Tampol in the 
pueblo of Quingua and also another hacienda in Santa Maria 
de Pandi, both these belonging to the Augustinians and Do- 
minicans. 

O. Are they large? 

A. Yes, sir. 

O. Have you any idea how large? 

A. The first named hacienda is a sugar plantation and is of 
considerable extent. The other hacienda is made up of rice 
land and also of considerable size. 

O. What political functions did the friars actually exercise 
in your parish? 

A. They exercised all functions. They were the lieuten- 
ants of the civil guard, the captain of the pueblo, the governor 
of the province. To show this, the friar would always watch 
the elections, and if any provincial governor or any municipal 
authority were elected by the people whom he did not de- 
sire to hold office, he would, for subordinate officers, appeal 
\Q the proyjnci^l governor, an4 for these governors t9 the 



3o6 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

governor-general, and state that if these officers who had been 
elected were permitted to assume their offices that the public 
order would be endangered, because they were Masons, or 
any other specious argument would be advanced so as to make 
the superior authorities set at naught the will of the people, 
and appoint whoever might be thought suitable or friendly to 
the friar; but- often this was not necessary, as the friar would 
so wield the elections as to get only those to vote who were 
his blind followers. He performed the duties of lieutenant 
of the civil guard by demanding of every person who came to 
him to be either married or to have a child baptized, or for bur- 
ial, their cedula, which he would retain until such a time as the 
fees were paid, and then he would report the person whose ce- 
dula he had retained, to the lieutenant of the civil guard as 
being without a cedula, and he would be jailed until such time 
as he should get another cedula. 

O. What was the morality of the parish priests? 

A. There was no morality. If I was to rehearse the whole 
history it would be interminable ; but I shall confine myself to 
concrete cases, beginning with the vows of chastity, which 
everyone knows they have to take. Upon this point it were 
better to consult the children of friars in every town where 
there are at least four or five or more, who have cost their 
mothers many bitter tears for having brought them into the 
world, not only because of the dishonor, but also because of 
the numerous deportations brought about by the friars to get 
rid of them. The vow of poverty is also loudly commented on 
by the fact that in every town, however poor it may be, the 
convent is the finest building, whereas in Europe or elsewhere 
the schoolhouse is the finest building. With regard to other 
little caprices of the friars, I might say that whenever a wealthy 
resident of the town is in his death-throes, the Filipino coad- 
jutor of the friar is never permitted to go to his bedside and 
confess him, the Spanish friar always goes, and there he paints 
to the penitent the torments of hell and the consequences of an 
evil life, thus adding to the terrors of the deathbed. He also 
states his soul may be saved by donating either real or per- 
sonal property to the c-hprch. There are hundreds of 4on^' 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 307 

tioiis of this kind wliich still exist. For instance, in the town 
of Bigaa, the altar in the church is of silver, a donation from 
the Constantine family; and in San Miguel the silver altar is 
a donation from the family of Don Cefanno de Leon, the 
grandfather having donated money sufficient to pay for it on 
his deathbed; and if the patient dies the family is compelled 
to have a most expensive funeral, w^ith all the incidental ex- 
penses which go to the church, or be threatened with depor- 
tation or imprisonment; and if the dead person is a pauper, 
and has naturally nothing to pay with, or if he is a servant or 
a tenant, the master or employer has to pay or he will be de- 
ported, as happened to my brother-in-law, Moises Santiago, 
who was a pharmacist, and was deported in the month of No- 
vember, 1895, because he did not pay the funeral expenses of 
the son of the female servant in his house. The father of this 
child was a laborer, and had funds sufficient to defray the burial 
expenses, and the friar was so informed by my brother-in-law, 
and they said they had nothing to do with that, and that he 
was his master and would have to pay or suffer the conse- 
quences, which he did. I myself came very near being deport- 
ed under the following circumstances : A woman heavy with 
child died in the fifth month of gestation. The friar curate de- 
manded that I should perform the Caesarian operation upon 
the corpse, in order to baptize the foetus. I declined to per- 
form the operation, because I had a wound in my finger and 
feared blood poisoning. He told me it was my duty to my- 
self and to my conscience to perform the operation, in order 
that he might baptize the foetus ; and I told him my conscience 
did not so impel me, and I declined to do it, and he said, ''Take 
care." Those two words were sufficient to send me hurriedly 
to Manila, where I remained from 1895, the year in which this 
occurred, to 1899. If the dying person is a pauper, with no 
one to pay fees, the Spanish friar does not go to confess him, 
but sends the Filipino, and when he dies without burial fees 
his corpse is often allowed to rot, and there have been many 
cases where the sacristans of the church have been ordered 
by the friar to hang the corpse publicly, so that the relatives 




Priests Eefused this Corpse Burial Be- 
cause the Fees Had not Been Paid, 




The Manila Cathedral, the Leading Koman 
Cntholic Church of the Philippines, 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 309 

may be thus compelled to seek the fees somewhere sufficient 
to bury the corpse. 

Q. What proportion of the friars do you think violated their 
'vows of celibacy? 

A. I do not know of a single one of all those I have known 
in the province of Bulacan who has not violated his vow of cel- 
ibacy. The very large majority of the mestizos in the interior 
are sons of friars. ' 

Q. Does a hostility exist among the people against the 
friars ? 

A. A great deal. If you were to ask the inhabitants of the 
Philippines, one by one, that question, they would all say the 
same — that they hated the friars; because there is scarcely a 
person living here who has not, in one way or another, suffered 
at their hands. 

Q. What is the chief ground of that hostility? 

A. The despotism and the immorality. 

Q. Had other cases than the immorality not existed, do you 
think the immorality was sufficient ? 

A. Yes ; that would be a sufficient cause, for the simple rea- 
son that the immorality brings as a natural consequence in its 
train despotism, intimidation, and force to carry out their de- 
sires and designs ; for all ipay be reduced to this, that the Fil- 
ipino who did not bow his head in acquiescence had it cut off 
from his shoulders. 

Q. In other words, this was only a manifestation of the 
power they exercised over the people. That was one end to- 
ward which they used their power? 

A. Immorality was the chief end. 

Q. What have you to say of the morality of the native 
priests? 

A. They blindly obeyed whatever the friar says; they have 
neither individual will nor thought. 

Q. Are they also loose in their relations with women? 

A. Many of them, also. From my own personal experience 
I think all the priests and friars are on the same level. I have 
never seen one that was pure. I don't deny there may be ex- 
20 ^ ' 



3IO THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ceptions, but I have not seen them. The large majority have 
violated their vows of celibacy and chastity. For this reason I 
believe that Protestantism will have a very good field here, for 
one reason alone, and that is that the Protestant ministers 
marry, and that will eradicate all fear of attacks upon the Fili- 
pino families on their part. 

Q. Have you much personal knowledge of the morality or 
immorality of the friars ? 

A. I ought to draw a distinction, for in the American sense 
of the word ''immorality" it embraces several departures from 
the right path, while in the Filipino sense it simply meant sex- 
ual departures from morality. Larceny, robbery, etc., were 
another kind of immorality. The friars had great notoriety as 
immoral men in the Filipino sense. It was so common that 
hardly any notice was taken of it. Some of the younger friars 
said it was merely human weakness, but nevertheless, with that 
peculiar Spanish spirit, they prided themselves upon these 
facts. 

O. What do you think of the native priests as compared 
with the friars? 

A. They are as ignorant as immoral, and have all the same 
defects and vices as the friars, as they were educated by the 
friars. ^ 

Q. Have they less education? 

A. Perhaps a little less. 

Q. What do you think would be the result generally if the 
friars attempted to go back to their parishes? 

A. I have heard many persons say that they would assassin- 
ate any friars who returned. 

Q. I have heard it said by people whose opportunities for 
observation on one side of the question would be fairly good, 
that this opposition to the friars is due to the native priests 
and to a few men in each village, and that it does not permeate 
the mas-s of the people. To the Katlpunans 

A. I would like to ask those persons who have expressed 
this opinion, how many men they think belonged to the Kati- 
punans. In the Tagalog provinces alone there were over 200,- 
000, and it must be remembered that these members of Kati- 



'~ HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 311 

punan society not only had resolved to attack the friars, but 
also to go into a revolution in which they exposed their lives, 
and there were many other enemies of the friars in the pueblos 
who were not bold enough to enter into the Katipunan society ; 
so I do not believe the number of the enemies of the friars is 
so small. 

PEDRO SURAN"0 LAKTAW. 



A Teacher Harshly Treated for Being a Freemason. — A Priest Living 
With Two Sisters. — Removal of a Pure Christian Minister. 

October 22, 1900. 

Q. When were you born? 

A. I was born in October, 1853, and am 47 years of age. 

Q. You are a young man. 

A. Wornout with fatigues and efforts to overcome people 
who have tried to down me ; but I have forgiven them all. It 
was not their fault, it was the fault of the times. 

Q. Will you state your profession? 

A. I am a teacher. My degree as a teacher of elementary 
schools I got in Manila; the degree of superior teacher I re- 
ceived in Salamanca, Spain, and degree as instructor of normal 
schools I got in Madrid. 

Q. Are you teaching now? 

A. I am now engaged in getting up a new commercial 
corporation with Don Pedro Paterno. In order to gain a live- 
lihood during the late Spanish regime, I secured a position as 
teacher of one of the schools in Manila after a competitive ex- 
amination. During the governor-generalship of Despujol I 
was charged with being in politics, and the school I had in Bi- 
nondo was taken from me, but Governor-General Roman 
Blanco, upon my proving that I was innocent, gave me a school 
in Quiapo, which I also lost later on in the time of the insur- 
rection under his administration, and I was sent to jail for a 
year under similar charges. At the end of this time I proved 
my innocence and I was released, but I was never given any 
other school. 

Q. You were born in these islands and have lived here, with 
the exception of the four years? 



312 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

A. I was born in the capital pueblo of Bulacan, showing that 
I am a pure Tagalog. 

Q. How long did you live in Bulacan? 

A. All my life except the time I spent in Europe and edu- 
cating myself in Manila, and nine months that I taught school 
in Pampanga. Since I lost my last teachership in Manila I 
have remained here, but every year I have made a trip to my 
home. 

Q. Do you think you know enough about the friars to tes- 
tify as to them ? 

A. I think I am in a position to know more about them 
than any other Filipino, because through my position as a 
teacher I was brought in constant contact with them. I have 
prepared a written statement of all the principal points in my 
contact with the friars during my life here, which I will leave 
with the commission if they desire it. 

Q. We will ask the questions first, and then see whether 
they cover what we desire. 

A. This statement is really a set of answers to the questions, 
and the three accompanying documents are historical sketches 
referring to the same subject. I thought it better to put down 
my answers in writing, so that the humble opinion I have to 
express might not be distorted. 

Q. I will have your manuscript translated, but will first get 
it in form by the usual questions and answers — that is, briefly. 

A. The first statement contains my own personal answers; 
the second document, which I presented to Don Esteros, the 
sub-secretary of the colonies of Spain, is a collection of his- 
torical data, first proving that the Philippines never belonged 
to Spain in any way ; and second, that the friars would never 
obey the civil authorities, and that ecclesiastically they were 
all breaking their vows. It is filled with citations in support 
of my assertions from histories written by the friars themselves. 
I have drunk from no other source. The last document is a 
refutation based upon the work of a Jesuit, reviewing the as- 
sertion of an Augustinian fria^ that the Filipinos were all bad 
and that the friars were always their friends. These docu- 
ments all prove that from the time of the very first governor- 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 313 

general in the Philippines down to the last, that the friars were 
always the same. 

Q. Do you know definitely what property the friars own 

here ? If you do not know except generally, I will not trouble 

ou to answer, for I have other means of getting that answer. 

A. I have mentioned some in my manuscript. I cannot an- 
swer except generally. 

Q. What poUtical functions did the friars actually exercise 
in the pueblos? 

A. All, without exception. Even those which the governor- 
general was not able to exercise. One of the most terrible 
arms that the friars wielded in the provinces was the secret in- 
vestigation and report upon the private life and conduct of a 
person. For instance, if someone had made accusations against 
a resident of a pueblo and laid them before the governor-gen- 
eral, he would have private instructions sent to the curate of 
the town to investigate and report upon the private life of that 
resident, stating that he had been charged with conspiring 
against the Spanish sovereignty. This resident was having his 
private Hfe investigated without any notice to him whatever, 
and in a secret way, and the report was always sent secretly to 
the governor-general; and he might be the intimate friend of 
the governor of the province or of the gobernardorcillo of the 
town or of the commander of the civil guard in his town. He 
would render reports favorable to him, but notwithstanding 
this the governor-general would receive the secret report of the 
friar and act upon it. For instance, there have been many 
cases in pueblos where a large number of the inhabitants have 
attended a feast in honor of the birthday of the governor of 
the province and have partaken of his hospitality, being inti- 
mate friends of his, and three or four days later nearly all of 
them have been arrested and imprisoned, charged with being 
conspirators against the life of the governor and against the 
continuance of the Spanish sovereignty, through secret infor- 
mation received from the friar curate. This is the secret of 
their great political influence in the country, for from the gov- 
ernor-general down to the lowest subordinate of the Spanish 
government, they feared the influence of the friar at home, 



314 T^HB DHVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

which was very great, owmg either to social position there or 
to power of money here, and I myself have seen several ofifi^ers 
of high rank in the army and officials of prominence under the 
government sent back long before their times of service had 
expired, at the instigation of the friars. For instance, the gov- 
ernor-general, Despujol, who was an upright, honest and just 
man, and who only remained here fifteen months because he 
showed his friendship for the Filipino ; and I desire to add that 
no man has treated me more harshly than Despujol, on the 
ground that I was a Mason and he was a very ardent Catholic ; 
but notwithstanding his ardent Catholicism he only stayed here 
fifteen months. 

Q. What do you know as to the morality of the friars? 

A. I have already related in my statement a few cases, and 
I would prefer to answer the question by saying that the de- 
tails of the immorality of the friars are so base and so indecent 
that instead of smirching the friars I would smirch myself by 
relating them. 

When I was a boy of seven years of age, on the opposite 
side of the street from my house two ladies lived. They were 
Filipinos, and I noticed two little children there, and I would 
ask my mother and the servants why it was that they were 
prettier than we or anybody in the town, and I was told that 
the' friar would know; and I learned he had as his mistresses 
two sisters living under one roof, and that these children were 
the children of either one or both of them ; and this was done 
publicly, for leaving out the question of his avowed celibacy 
and chastity, he had broken another vow which would not per- 
mit anyone to marry a deceased wife's sister, and here this 
man was living with two sisters at the same time. 

Q. Do you think all the friars were like that? Were there 
not some who obeyed their vows and were virtuous and lived 
pious lives? 

A. I have already referred to that in my statement, for I 
desire to be just under all circumstances. Before replying fur- 
ther to this question, I should like to complete the answer to 
the last. In the quarters of the town farthest removed from 
the centre, the family life is purer. There may be a few cases 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 315 

of concubinage, but there are comparatively very few, while in 
the centre of the towns the cases of this kind are very numer- 
ous, as are also robbery and other crimes. In a word, it can be 
truthfully said that the morality of the Filipino people becomes 
looser and looser as it nears the neighborhood of the convent. 
In answer to the second question, I may say that there are 
exceptions, but they are unfortunately very few. I recall one 
instance of the friar curate of Apalit, in Pampanga, who was 
named Gamarra, and who was an upright and thoroughly reli- 
gious man. He would marry all those who were living in con- 
cubinage free; he would ^bury the poor free, and perform many 
charitable and Christian acts, and would stand between the 
authorities and the unjustly accused. The fact is that while 
he was the curate there was not a single deportation. He vis- 
ited the sick, he comforted all those who came to him in trou- 
ble ; he was, in a word, a pure Christian minister of God, but as 
he was the one shining light amid the darkness of those who 
sang in chorus the airs of immorality, he was through their 
machinations brought to Manila and placed in charge of a con- 
vent; but this was done so as not to injure his feelings in any 
way or make him believe that there was anything behind the 
removal. 

INTERVIEW WITH AMBROSIA ELORES. 



The Priest a Veritable Grod. — Woe to the Man Who Possesses a Hand- 
some Wife or Daughter. 

October 24, 1900. 

Q. How long have you been in the islands ? 

A. All my life, for I have never left the islands. 

Q. You were a general in the insurgent army? 

A. Yes; I was. 

Q. Is there a feeling of hostility or otherwise among the 
people against the friars? 

A. A great feeling of hostility. 

Q. Does the feeling against the friars differ in different lo- 
calities? 

A. There is a difference undoubtedly, but it is due to the 



3i6 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

fact that in some provinces there is fanaticism carried to such 
an extent, like in Pangasinan, for instance, where the Domini- 
cans have been able tovkeep the people under the influence of 
blind superstition and where they believe that the priest is a 
veritable god and absolutely impeccable ; but in the great ma- 
jority of the provinces the feeling of hatred against the friars 
permeates all classes. 

Q. Do you know whether there are in these islands a great 
many descendants of the friars? 

A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Is that generally understood? 

A. Yes, sir. 

Q. Do you know the persons and know who their fathers 
were? 

A. I know several sons of friars, but at this moment re- 
member one. I can furnish a long list of them, but now I 
think of but one. 

Q. Do you think the immorahty was general or not — « 
whether or not with a great many exceptions ? 

A. Yes, there were exceptions, but they were very rare. 

Q. What was the ground of the hostiHty against the friars? 

A. The reasons for this hostility were many. In the first 
place, the haughty, overbearing, despotic manner of the friars. 
Then the question of the haciendas, because the conditions of 
their tenantry were very terrible. Then there was the fact of 
the fear which beset every man, even those who through fear 
were nearest to the friars, that if his eyes should light upon his 
wife or his daughter in an envious way that if he did not give 
them up he was lost. Another reason was that they were 
inimical to educating the people. Then again because of the 
parish fees, because they were very excessive, always com- 
pelling the rich to have the greatest amount of ceremony in 
their weddings, baptisms, and interments — whether they want- 
ed it or not — and cost them thereby a god deal, and if they did 
not accede to the payment they would say they were Masons 
or filibusters. 

Q. Was the chief reason for the feeling of the people against 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED . 317 

the friars such as you have stated ; that is, tliat they represent- 
ed to the people the oppressive power of the Spanish people? 

A. Yes, sir; exactly. 

Q. Do you think that if there were no other reason their 
great immorality would have made them unpopular? 

A. That would be sufficient for this reason : That the means 
which they used to carry out their purposes with respect to 
women were the most grievous and oppressive. If they had 
merely desired a woman and courted her, nothing would have 
been said, but if the woman declined to allow their advances 
they used every effort in their power to compel her and her 
relatives to succumb. 

Q. How do the native priests compare in point of morality 
with the friars? 

A. The present native priests are naturally contaminated 
by the friars, but although many of them have their amorous 
relations with women, they do it in a quieter way. They don't 
use any force to carry out their ends. 

Q. Do the people desire to be educated? 

A. Very much so, and they have also shown a great desire 
to instruct themselves and educate themselves. 

Q. Are they all Catholics ? 

A. All except those that live in the forests, like the Igor- 
rotes, are Catholics. 

INTERVIEW WITH H. PHELPS WHITMARSH. 



Priests Oppressed and Robbed the People. — Used Women and Daugh- 
ters as They Pleased. — Priests Gambling in Convents With Members 
of Their Own Church. 

November 3, 1900. 

Q. Will you please state your name? 

A. H. Phelps Whitmarsh. 

Q. And where were you born? 

A. In Canada — Medoc, Canada. 

Q. Are you a citizen of the United States? 

A. Yes ; my father is an American. 

Q. Your profession is what? 

A. Writer and journalist. 



3i8 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Q. What periodicals or journals have you corresponded for? 

A. Mainly the Century, Atlantic Monthly, and Outlook. 

Q. How long have you been in the PhiHppines ? 

A. I have been in the Philippines about thirteen months. 

Q. During the thirteen months of your stay have you 
visited a great many different towns ? 

A. Yes, a great many. I have been all through the part of 
the archipelago occupied by the American troops and a good 
deal of that not occupied. 

Q. Have you come into contact with the inhabitants? 

A. I have lived practically with them. 

Q. Have you a knowledge of Spanish sufficient to converse 
with them ? 

A. Yes ; I can talk with them. I learned that in Cuba. 

Q. And your living with them and going among them was 
to observe their habits, views, and opinions. 

A. Yes ; for that and nothing else. 

Q. I want to ask you to direct your attention to their views 
of ecclesiastical matters. At the time you were with them, 
who was conducting the religious functions, if any, in the ma- 
jority of cases? 

A. In Luzon, generally, the religious functions were con- 
ducted by the Filipino priests, but I think I can not say in the 
majority of cases, for in the Visayas, Mindanao, and Jolo there 
were no priests. 

Q. Did you talk with the people of their sentiments toward 
the parish priests under the Spanish regime? 

A. I did. 

Q. What did you find their feeling to be with respect to 
them ? 

A. I think with one exception, which stands out because it 
is an exception, the people always declare themselves to be not 
in favor of having the friars back. 

Q. Did they state the reasons? 

A. They told me lots of stories about the friars. . 

Q. Were they the common people? 

A. Yes; the very commonest people. All are very bitter 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 319 

/ 
except one town of northern Luzon. They are very bitter, 

and I have always asked them as to this matter. 

Q. What grounds did they give for their hostiUty? 

A. Mainly that the priest held them under, oppressed them, 
robbed them, and that they used their women and daughters 
just as they pleased. 

Q. Did they specify the methods of oppression? 

A. I can not remember distinct instances just now. 

Q. Did you hear of instances of deportation through the 
agency of the priest ? 

A. Yes ; I have heard that nobody was allowed in certain 
sections to go away from the town without the permit of the 
friars, and that the friar often sent him away, and they were 
under the thumb of the friar. 

Q. How did the friar rob them? 

A. He robbed them in the vicinity of the railroads by forc- 
ing the people to sell their rice to him at the prices which the 
friar made, and not allowing the people to send their own prod- 
uct to the market. 

Q. Was there anything said about the fees which were 
charged for religious functions ? 

A. Yes ; I heard a great many complaints about that. They 
were usually made according to a man's station. The friar 
charged what he pleased, and if he said a certain sum was neces- 
sary, that sum had to be paid or he would not conduct the 
burials, etc. 

Q. What did you hear as to the morality of the priests ? 

A. Nothing that was good, with few exceptions. 

Q. Were you referred to instances where the illegitimate 
sons of the friars were known ? 

A. Yes ; there was scarcely a town that I did not either see 
or hear of the children of friars. 

Q. Did you hear anything as to the morality of the native 
priests? 

A. Yes. 

Q. What as to that? 

A. As a rule that they were not much better in regard to 
morality. 




At a Popish Masquerade Ball in the Philippines. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 321 

Q. Do you know much about the character of the native 
priests — first, as to their morahty? 

A. Well, I have had to remove one or two because the con- 
gregation said they would not stand it, and to preserve peace 1 
had them moved away. 

Q. What was the occasion of their indignation? 

A. In some cases women and in others drunkenness. 

Q. On the whole do you think their tone is any better than 
that of the friars? 

A. To be plain, judge, there is no morality in them, not a 
particle. They gamble in their convents ; they send for mem- 
bers of their congregations to gamble with them. There is no 
morahty. 

EVIDENCE OF FLORENTINO TORRES, ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF 

THE ISLANDS UNDER MILITARY GOVERNMENT OF 

THE UNITED STATES. 



Not the Salvation of Souls, But the Accumulation of "Wealth the Ob- 
ject of the Priests. — Kept the People in Ignorance as Much as Pos- 
sible. — Priests a Great Hindrance to Civilization and Progress.— 
Innocent People Outraged Through Detective Work of the Priests. 

Answers to the Interrogatories. 

As regards the religious relation, saving a few exceptions, 
where sincerity and good faith were noted in the conduct of 
certain friar curates in the matter of teaching the rudiments of 
the Catholic religion, and everything relating to worship and its 
rites, the large majority discharged their ministry according to 
monastic traditions in a routine way, tending to the ends of the 
order, and, taking no care to make clear the foundation and 
essence of the Catholic dogma and beliefs; they endeavored 
only to effect external manifestations, such as processions and 
church ceremonies, with the constant view of adding to their 
profits through parochial fees, of influencing and dominating 
the minds of the faithful and believers, and of always favoring 
their personal interests, and those of the community to which 
they belonged ; exploiting the piety and fanaticism of the 
pueblos in the name of heaven and to the positive benefit of the 



322 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

friar. It is not the spread of the faith nor the salvation of souls 
which were as a general rule the object pursued, but rather 
the preponderance and the predominance of the monastic cor- 
porations, and the incessant accumulation of considerable 
wealth, improving religion and their capacity as ministers of 
God as the sure means to realize, through multiple and diverse 
means, the decided purposes of the communities. 

As a general rule, charity and love of the neighbor have dis- 
appeared, save in the rarest cases, and when the name of God 
is invoked before the multitudes He is represented not as the 
just and merciful God, but as the vengeful and exterminating 
giving the believers to understand that unless they submitted 
themselves wholly to the will and caprice of the friar curate 
their souls after death would not enter into heaven. 

The social relations which the friars have maintained with 
the Filipinos are the most injurious, and opposed to culture 
and the moral and material progress of the latter. Ministers 
of a religion whose Founder proclaimed charity to the limits 
of sacrifice and equality among men, have preached the con- 
trary and sustained by their works the inequality and differ- 
ence between races, impeding and ridiculing every notion or 
idea of dignity conceived by a Filipino. They have endeav- 
ored to keep the Filipinos in ignorance, opposing, wherever 
they could bring their pressure to bear, the teaching of the 
Spanish language by primary school teachers. They have con- 
demned in their preachings and private conversation every de- 
sire for culture and civilization, antagonizing the best pur- 
poses of the Madrid government or of that of these islands, 
as well in the faint and meager reforms in behalf of .the pro- 
gress and education of the Filipinos as in the economical meas- 
ures which to a certain extent affect the interests of the cor- 
porations, although they may redound to the great benefit of 
the people ; and having arrogated to themselves the title of 
mentors and directors of this society, instead of teaching the 
Filipinos cultured social behavior becoming to civilized men, 
they educated and formed them morally with that narrow char- 
acter, little, frank and distrustful, which is noticeable in the 
generality of the people, especially in the more ignorant, irak- 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 323 

ing them stubborn and suspicious of intercourse and relations 
with foreigners. It can be asserted without exaggeration that 
the friars have been and are a fatal hindrance to the advance- 
ment, moral and material, of this country, from the very fact 
that they have devoted themselves to keeping this society in 
ignorance, as though it lived in the middle ages or in the me- 
diaeval epoch of remote centuries ; and lastly, as priests and 
curates the majority of them were living examples of immor- 
ality, of disorder in the towns, and of disobedience and resist- 
ance to the constituted powers and the authorities, encouraged 
by the impunity guaranteed in the anachronistic jurisdiction, 
by the weakness, of the governors and officials, vitiated with 
fetichism and hypocrisy, and by the irresistible omnipotence 
of each monarchal corporation, possessing immense wealth. 
The curate friars were agents and representatives of a power- 
ful theocratic feudalism, which has been ruling this country for 
many centuries back without any sign of responsibility of any 
kind through civil and military officials appointed by the Span- 
ish government, with the more or less direct intervention of 
the commissary friars residing in the capital of Spain. And as 
the Catholic church in these islands was and still is completely 
monopolized and dominated by them, and to that end they 
secured from the complaisant and suicidal governments of Ma- 
drid and from the deceived Roman curia that the majority of 
archbishops and bishops of this country should be always 
friars, and in this century, or at least during the past forty 
years, the friar succeeded in monopolizing absolutely the miter 
to the extent that the priests were wholly excluded from the 
bishoprics, including Peninsular priests, despite the exalted 
Spanish patriotism which the friars preach. From all these 
antecedents it is very easily deduced what were the political 
relations existing between the friars and the Filipinos. 

10. With respect to the morality of the Spanish friars, the 
conduct of the majority left much to be desired, and in each 
town and locality the manner of living of the curate friar Avas 
publicly known and talked of; for if there are any leading an 
exemplary life of constant and crude virtue, and of irreproach- 
able conduct, there were others, to a fair number, who were 



324 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

designated by public opinion as living examples of scandalous 
abuses, vice and corruption. Gaming, concubinage and orgies, 
or loose diversions in company with persons of the other sex, 
were well known to parish priests, especially in the provinces, 
and in pueblos somewhat removed from the residences of the 
bishops. In many pueblos the concubine and children of the 
friars were publicly known and pointed out, and the colleges 
existing in this capital used to be, and still are, filled with 
youths of both sexes whose features reveal their origin and 
birth. 

The detective work of the friar curates and their false ac- 
cusations and slanders sent many and an innumerable number 
of the peacefully inclined to the revolutionary ranks, because 
between the horrible punishments and outrages which pro- 
duced death slowly, and death in the open fiel]d, many preferred 
the latter. The greater part of the well-to-do and cultured 
people of the provinces and many from this capital embraced 
the cause of the rebellion, forced thereto by the persecutions 
and false accusations made by many jingoistic Spanish patriots 
and the friars, rather than of their own notion, and also be- 
cause of the outrages, ferocious punishments, and most severe 
penalties imposed on persons that the people believed to be 

innocent. 

JOSE ROS. 



How a Priest Treated a Poor Man Who Could Not Pay His Rent. — 
A Poor Widow and Her Children's Punishment. 

To the American Civil Commission : (Translation.) 

The curate of Balingasay, who was a Jesuit (the two men- 
tioned previously being Recoletos), because a joint owner of a 
piece of land which the friar's order had appropriated because 
it was owed a sum of money by the Spaniard, who requested 
the return of his property of the government, and he could not 
pay the rent of the parcel of ground he was working, burned 
his house, the curate himself applying the torch, and ordering 
that all the corn which had been sowed, and the cocoanut trees, 
planted three or four years before, to be cut down. In short, 
everything the poor man had on the ground was destroyed. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 325 

This same curate compelled a poor widow to sell, at a price 
named by him, a piece of ground out of which she made a liv- 
ing for herself and her little ones, threatening her with punish- 
ment in this world and the next in case of refusal. 

FRANCO GONZALES. 



Why This Priest Gambled. — Priest Beats a Man With a Rattan. — Kiss 
the Priest's Hands or Be Slapped. — Two Secret Stairways at a Con- 
vent. — Priests Had No Respect for the Sanctity of the Church. 

Answers to the Interrogatories. 

10. Here is sought the narration of some fact, and although 
the scandalous immorality of the parish friar is a current thing 
in these pueblos, I shall relate what I remember about Father 
Cienfuegos, a Dominican friar, curate of the pueblo of Tayug 
(Pangasenan) about the years 1884 ai'^d 1885. This friar, ad- 
dicted to petticoats, was accustomed to play "monte" with his 
mistress and other neighbors in his own convent ; and being 
asked one day by a Spaniard why he permitted gambling in his 
house, the good father replied, between drinks, that he needed 
resources for his wife, and that he found this means very prof- 
itable. 

12. As a sample of what a displeased parish priest is capable 
of, I shall relate what I witnessed about the year 1867 or 1868 
in Rosales (Neuva Ecija) on a feast day after high mass at the 
very moment in Avhich the people were leaving the church. 
The curate of this pueblo, Fr. Raimundo Gallardo, a Francis- 
can, with his sleeves rolled up, was in front of the principal en- 
trance to the church belaboring the shoulders of a man stand- 
ing, though strongly tied to a stepladder, with a rattan. I left 
that repugnant spectacle, which lasted, as I subsequently learn- 
ed, until the curate no longer had strength to continue. The 
cause for so brutal a punishment was due to his having dared 
to collect in the said town for masses for the famous Virgin 
Manauag (Pangasenan). That unhappy man was the agent of 
the parish priest of Manauag. 

He (the friar) would not furnish the last necessary spiritual 
needs, and as to the confession and cornmvfnion of th^ ill, h^ 
2; 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 327 

left it to his coadjutor, and the latter is not able to attend to so 
many. They compelled everybody, without exception, to kiss 
their hands on greeting them, and he who disobeyed would re- 
ceive a slap, and they revenged themselves as far as they pos- 
sibly could. As to the social relations, they treated the peo- 
ple of the town grossly, belittling those who dressed decently 
by saying that it -was not proper for them so to do, as they 
should only wear the salocot and calapio (palm hat and rain 
coat) to follow carabaos and plows ; and they treated their co- 
adjutors worse than slaves. 

TESTIMONY OF HEADMEN AND LEADING RESIDENTS. 

8. What, usually were the relations between the heads of 
the Spanish government here and the heads of the church ? 

A. The friars had the heads of the Spanish government un- 
der their order. The latter were the cause of many vexations, 
and with their own hands chastised and beat alleged culprits, 
and whenever a Spanish authority did not second or conform 
to the wishes of the friars, all the orders contributed large 
sums of money to have him removed, and this is the true cause 
of the Filipino revolution. 

10. What was the moraUty of the friars as parish priests, 
etc. ? 

A. The morality of the friars generally left much to be de- 
sired ; it was a cause for scandal among their parishioners — 
the way in which they broke their vows of chastity and poverty. 
This free life of the friars was so notorious that nothing was 
hidden from their parishioners, who had everything before 
their eyes on all occasions. We shall cite some cases : They 
compelled all the spinsters to go up into the convent on Sun- 
days and feast days, and there they exhorted them regarding 
matters which were not advisable, and, not satisfied with this, 
they advised them to confess frequently, and they relied upon 
this means to profane the house of God, and, if they did not 
secure their disordered ends, they sought means, even though 
it were calumny, to secure the deportation of the fathers of 
families, and if the women were married their husbands,- as 
happened to a former captain, Don Miguel Revollo, ancj ptb^r§» 



328 



THE DUVIL IN THE CHURCH: 



To show how far their astuteness went, there still exists in 
the convent of this pueblo two secret stairways, the door being 
in the form of a wardrobe, which when opened formed means 
of escape — one communicating with the vault and leading from 
the choir of the church to the sacristy, and the other in the 
sleeping-room of the curate, which led to a store-house which 
is now used as the office of the local presidente. This was the 
idea of a friar to carry out his impure and disordered passions. 
It can be said that there were two curates of this pueblo who 
were so cruel and inhuman that even without any reason they 
verbally ill-treated whoever had the misfortune to have any- 
thing to do with them, not to say anything of their servants, 
sacristans, and singers, without respecting the sanctity of the 
place and of religious functions; whereof, by reason of our 
consciences as good Catholics, we can not but protest under 
pain of threatening the demoralization and corruption of our 
holy religion. They abused all kinds of females without dis- 
tinction of class or age, and when some of them became with 
child they gave them medicines to kill the foetus. 

JOSE TEMPLO. 



Priests the Corrupters of Youth.— One Good Priest to Ninety-nine Bad 
Ones.— Fees for Marriages, Christenings and Burials.— Priests Hav- 
ing More Power than the Governors.— Horrible Treatment of a Young 
Man who was ''Branded. "—Priests Advocate Giving Bread with One 
Hand and Rattan Beatings with the Other.— A Wonderful Filipino 
Prayer.— Many Methods of Torture, Which Must Have Been Invented 
by a Thousand Demons.— Protestant Ministers Badly Needed.— The 
Free School System Would be a Great Blessing. 

3. How much personal opportunity had you before 1896 to 
observe the relations existing between the friars and the peo- 
ple of their parishes in a religious, in a social, and in a political 

way? 

A. As regards the religious relations, the friar curates, if 
they had a coadjutor or coadjutors, did hardly anything in their 
parishes except to confess a few penitents outside of the Len- 
ten season, if they were so disposed ; the administering of the 

Other m^vs^mmth a gre^t part of the penitents, and also of the 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 329 

preaching, being performed by the coadjutors. The practical 
acts of the friars with respect to religion were not responsive 
to their pious calling of missionaries and teachers of the na- 
tives. They ought, rather, to be called the corrupters of 
youth. For this reason, in the administration of the sacra- 
ments they exercised only the penitential, as in these they ex- 
perienced delights and pleasures through their shameless and 
incredible solicitations. In Lenten time, which was the pe- 
riod when the country folk came in to confess, the parish friar 
would give strict orders to the scribes of the church to the end 
that in the distribution or giving out of the certificates to the 
penitents among himself and the coadjutors, they should give 
him the young unmarried country women and servant peni- 
tents, whom he obscenely solicited through words and man- 
ipulations in the confessional, which they always had cornered 
and buried in the darkest part of the church, thus setting at 
naught the severe and wise constitutions of the popes, Paul 
IV., Clement VIIL, Paul V., Gregory XV., Alexander VII., 
and lastly, Benedict XIV., against soliciting confessors. Is a 
proof of this desired as clear as the light of midday? Here are 
the thousands of solicited females, of which I have some ex- 
amples in my house, ready to depose if necessary in accord- 
ance with what is here denounced. 

4. How many friars have you known personally? 

A. Many ; very many. Justice must be done to all. Among 
those I have known and had relations with, there were some 
who were very good and virtuous, the recollection of whom is 
always accompanied with praise ; but these good friars were in 
the proportion of one to a hundred bad and detestable, so that 
the former were the exception and the latter the general rule. 
Hence, in the answers I make to these interrogatories, I refer 
to the bad friars, who constitute the general rule. It is to be 
noted that unfortunately the virtuous friars who sought the 
moral and material well-being of their parishioners did not last 
in the curacies. 

The image of the Holy Patron Saint Sebastian, martyr, was 
another element of inexhaustible industry and immense profit 
to the friar curate. Inside the town and outside, or in the bar- 



330 THH DHVIl IN THB CHURCH: 

rios, it was carried on a platform by a custodian, a canting fel- 
low, going from house to house, and asking alms in the name 
of the image ; alms consisting of money, according to the fol- 
lowing invariable tariff : For leaving the image in a house from 
the morning till the evening, telling the rosary on its arrival 
and another rosary on its departure, two pesos. For staying 
in a house half an hour, telling one rosary, half a peso. For 
remaining in a house a whole night, to go to bed, as they said, 
telling the rosary twice, two pesos. This perigrination of the 
image or of the saint, as the generality of the people said, was 
continuous, having been converted from time immicmorial into 
a modus vivendi of the friar, who had ordered the custodian to 
turn in every Sunday of the week a sum not less than 28 pesos. 

A certain governor of the provinces, a participator in the 
infliction of fines, in bribes and other oppressions, arrived at 
the convent one day seeking shelter, as was his custom. The 
parish friar received him on the stairway, and after greeting 
him dryly, said : ''My governor, you don't fit in here any more; 
there are twenty fathers here and there are no beds for gover- 
nors." The poor governor left, and sought shelter in the 
house of a resident whom he had just thrown into prison for 
an imaginary attempt at sedition. 

9. What fees were actually collected by the parish priests 
for marriages, burials, and christenings? 

A. During the Spanish rule the parish priest of this city 
charged : For each marriage, six pesos and fifty cents, besides 
the presents made by the wedded couple, consisting of chick- 
ens and hens; for burials, according to the following tariff: 
For each burial, with prayers, of an adult, if the latter were a 
pure native, three pesos fifty cents ; for the burial of a Chinese 
mestizo, three pesos seventy-five cents ; for first-class inter- 
ment of a child, with coffin and in a pantheon or niche, thirty- 
seven pesos and fifty cents ; if the deceased were the child of 
Chinese mestizos, a larger amount was charged; for a third- 
class interment of an adult, with coffin and in a niche, fifty-four 
pesos and thirty cents ; for a second-class interment of an 
adult, with coffin and niche, ninety pesos and thirty cents ; for 
a first-class interment with coffin and niche of an adult, up to 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 331 

two hundred and twenty pesos was charged. It should be 
noted that for interments of Chinese mestizos of any kind, 
aduhs and children, a larger sum was charged than that desig- 
nated in each scale for natives. These fees were arbitrary and 
very excessive, for the parish priest kept from the public the 
legitimate schedule of fees published by the worthy archbishop 
of Manila, Senor Don Basalio S. de Santa Justa y Rufina, so as 
not to be governed thereby, as it did not yield so much money. 
Besides, the parish friar of this city, when any person died 
(and this was the most hateful act and the most worthy of pub- 
lic animadversion and of the anathema of all peoples) caused 
to be investigated, through his best familiar or sacristan, the 
amount of the estate of the deceased. Should the latter have 
been wealthy or well to do, he compelled (and no tears or sobs 
could stay him) the family thereof to have a funeral of the 
highest possible class, and never allowing it to be of a lower 
class — with one prayer, for instance. 

11. What do you think is the chief ground for hostility to 
the friars as parish priests? 

A. The abuses, tyrannies, and countless immoralities com- 
mitted safely, synthacized in the facts recorded and in many 
others no doubt worse, of which the deponent has no knowl- 
edge, as they were committed elsewhere, and must have par- 
taken of another character owing to a diversity of conditions ; 
and I say "safely" because in the Phihppines no one could call 
the friar to account for his acts- And if any governor allowed 
himself at any time to bridle the friars, his rashness cost him 
dearly, he being discharged from his ofhce. 

12. Charges have been made against the friars that many 
of their number caused the deportation of FiHpinos, members 
of their parishes, and that in some instances they were guilty 
of physical cruelty. What, if anything, do you know on these 
subjects? 

A. The deportation of thousands of Filipinos to the distant 
islands in the south of the Archipelago, to the Marianas, and 
even to the Spanish colonies in Africa, were in great part the 
work of the friars. And now to the proof : A few of the resi- 
dents of Villa, finding ourselves one night gathered in the 



332 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

convent, between and 7 o'clock, carrying- out against our will 
the tiresome custom of occasionally exhibiting ourselves to the 
friar to erase from his feverish imagination the evil preoccu- 
pation that he might perhaps have conceived against us, be- 
heving us to be filibusters. Among the group was a cultured 
young man a short time before arrived from the Peninsula, 
qualified to be admitted as a licentiate in civil law, who had fol- 
lowed his law studies partly in the University of Santo Tomas 
and partly in the University of Madrid, having passed many of 
the years of his youth in the capital of Spain and in that of 
Valencia, and as the friar did not know him, and it being the 
first time that he had seen him — and the last — he asked him : 
"And who art thou?" To which the youth replied: "I Father 

am one of ." ''Of the branded?" inquired the monk. 

"No, Father, I am a resident of the barrio of Mataasnalnpa, at 
the command of your reverence." Two weeks had hardly 
passed when I learned, to the great sorrow of my soul, that the 
poor young" man, who divided his time between books and 
chicken raising, was taken from his house by a couple of muni- 
cipal guards by order of the parish friar and taken to the capi- 
tal of this province, where he was placed in the hands of the 
governor, who, not knowing what to do with him, transferred 
him to Manila. He, after suft'ering incredible miseries inher- 
ent to a long voyage, eventually landed in one of the Spanish 
colonies in Africa, where he died, wept by the Spanish gov- 
ernor of the colony because of his learning and fine traits of 
character and the services he had rendered in the dependencies 
of the government as an amanuensis. 

4. How many friars have you known personally? 

A. I have known many Dominican, Augustinian, Recolletto, 
and Franciscan friars; perhaps 200 of them, and having been 
in rather intimate relations with some of them, I can assert 
that the best of them were tyrants, who found much pleasure 
in saying: ''The Filipino must be given bread with one hand 
and rattan beatings with the other." In Spain, by merely cut- 
ting off a thousand heads, Don Carlos would reign, and con- 
sequently the kingdom of peace, of order, and of justice would 
prevail. 




A Romish Masquerade Supper in the Philippines. 



334 ^^^ DUVIt IN THH CHURCH: 

10. What was the morahty of the friars as parish priests? 
How much opportunity have you had to observe? Can you 
give me instances? If so, please do so. 

A. I have known curate friars who were of exemplary con- 
duct, highly virtuous, religious, and good Catholics. But I 
have also known many friars so immoral and cynical, that they 
were wont to say, confidentially, when they were intoxicated, 
that they had a great advantage over those who were not 
priests in the conquest of good-looking women, as they relied 
on the confessional, and through it they became apprised of 
facts which made easy the attack, assault, and taking of the 
stronghold. In 1850, when I was 15 years of age, Don Jose 
Sanchez Guerrero, alcalde mayor of Zambeles, began a war 
without truce against the friars of that province, and all of 
them, except one, were carried to Manila, not only because 
they had women and children, but also because of their scan- 
dalous life, without caring a whit whether the whole world 
were apprised of the fact that they had what they called their 
wife and progeny. Vide in the work of Canamaque, "Recuer- 
dos de Filipinas," an appendix relative to the friars. 

12. Charges have been made against the friars that many 
of their number have caused the deportation of Filipinos, mem- 
bers of their parishes, and that in some instances they were 
guilty of physical cruelty. What, if anything, do you know on 
these subjects? 

A. A Fihpino prayer, written by me long before I had any 
notice of the interrogatories to which I am replying, will an- 
swer this question satisfactorily. Here is the said Filipino 

prayer : — 

"Wonderful Filipino Prayer. 

"My God and Master! Have compassion upon us, the Fili- 
pinos ; protect us from the Dominicans, Augustinians, Recole- 
tos, and Franciscans. By instigations of these friars thousands 
of Filipinos have been torn from their homes, some to eat the 
hard and black bread, or the Pinaua of deportation, and others 
to shed blood in streams at executions. They were conducted 
to the calabooses, and there they were suspended from a beam 
with a pile of rocks on their shoulders, and several others hang- 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 335 

ing from their feet and their hands. Suddenly the cord by 
which they were suspended was loosened, and they fell in a 
heap on the floor, where, if they were not killed, they sufifered 
dislocations and fractures. Later they were lashed on the 
soles of the feet, on the calves, on the backside, on the should- 
ers, and on the stomach. Their fingers and toes and privates 
were squeezed and mangled with pincers. They were given 
electric shocks. They were given to drink vinegar or warm 
water with salt in excessive quantities, so that they might 
vomit whatever they had eaten, and which had not passed 
through the pylorus into the small intestine. Their feet were 
placed in the stocks, and they were compelled to lie on the 
ground without even a bad mat, the mosquitos, chinch-bugs, 
fleas and other insects sucking their blood, and the rats, at 
times, coming in their mad race and biting, to render worse 
their sorry and afflicted situation. They were given nothing 
to eat or drink except from one afternoon to another, the 
unhappy imprisoned Filipinos thus experiencing the tortures 
of hunger and of thirst. And after causing them to suffer other 
horrible tortures invented by the inquisition of ominous mem- 
ory, squalid, careworn, attenuated, hardly able to stand erect, 
many were taken to the field, where they died by shooting, 
for such was the will of the friars, who every day asked for 
blood — Filipino blood — the blood of those who in this coun- 
try stood out by reason of their knowledge, their upright- 
ness, or their wealth. Thou knowest, my God, that in 1872 
the Filipino fathers Don Mariano Gomez, Don Jose Burgos, 
and Don Jacinto Zamora died on the scaffold because they 
opposed the friars usurping the curacies of the priests, as in 
the end they did usurp them, because the friars were almost 
omnipotent at that time, and there was no human power to 
arrest their will. Neither are we ignorant, my God, that in 
1897 there were shot to death on the field of Bagumbayan 
the Filipino priests Don Severino Diaz, Don Gabriel Prieto, 
and Don Inocencio Herrera, because the two first named ob- 
jected to the curate of Naga, a Franciscan friar, collecting 
some parochial fees belonging to the said Father Diaz, as cur- 
ate of the cathedral of Nueva Caceras. Thou also knowest. 



336 TUB DHVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

my God and Lord, that nothwithstanding that Dr. Don Jose 
Rizal, the unfortunate Macario Valentin, and innumerable 
other Filipinos were wholly innocent, they also succumbed on 
the field of Bagumbayan, shot to death. Neither is it un- 
known to Thee, my God, that a multitude of Filipinos have 
remained marked forever as the result of blows and cruel 
treatment they have received, among them General Lucban, 
who has a rib sprung, and will probably carry it through life. 
Inspire, Lord, the American authorities with the idea of mak- 
ing an examination and excavations in -the Monastery of Santa 
Clara of Manila, for about fifteen years or more ago a nun 
went upon the roof of the said monastery and there loudly 
begged for help — a scandalous fact which many Manilaites 
can not but recall. Expel, Lord, expel from the Philippines 
the friars, before there is powdered glass. in the rice we eat 
and poison in the water we drink, and before Dr. Manuel 
Jerez Burgos, to whom an anonymous missive was addressed 
saying : Xara died to-day ; thou shalt die to-morrow,' shall be 
assassinated. Take, Lord, take from our sight the habits of the 
friars, which recall to us days of mourning and affliction, days 
of prisons, deportations, tortures, and executions of beings 
who are dear to us, whose unhappy end still draws tears from 
our eyes and fills our hearts with anguish. Do more yet, my 
Lord and God, dissolve, annihilate, destroy throughout the 
world the monastic order whose by-laws constitute a woeful 
system which produces, and necessarily must produce, men 
hypocritical, perverse, covetous, and cruel oppressors of hu- 
manity, as is evidenced by history and recently by the present 
war in China, occasioned by abuses, arbitrariness, and ex- 
cesses of the friars. We supplicate and pray Thee, my God, 
that Thou cast out from the Philippines forever the friars that 
again are attempting to take possession of the curacies of the 
Philippines, to treat anew our priests as though they were 
their servants. Amen." 

13. What is to be said of the morality of the native priests? 

A. The duty of speaking the truth imposes upon me the 
necessity of stating that the native priests are on the same 
footing as the friars, for there are Filipino priests of exem- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 337 

plary conduct, as there are also many who have much to be 
desired in the way of moraHty. Were the CathoHc priests 
allowed to marry, like the Protestant pastors, we should not 
have, as at present, spectacles by no means edifying. 

17. What do you think of the establishment of schools in 
which opportunity would be given the ministers of any church 
to instruct the pupils in religion half an hour before the regu- 
lar hour? Would this satisfy the Catholics of the islands in 
their desire to unite religion with education? 

A. As I am one of those who oppose the freedom of con- 
science, I find the idea of establishing schools in the manner 
indicated in the question is an excellent one, which is also ad- 
visable in order that there may be equality before the law. 
The Catholic is not compelled to become a Protestant, and 
why should the Protestant be compelled to become a Catho- 
lic? Why should Catholicism alone be taught? It is clear 
that such a determination would not satisfy the Catholic of the 
islands, because everywhere the Catholic is intransigeant and 
headstrong, and never ceases preaching that liberalism is a 
sin, without seeing that he confounds religion with politics 
and that he thereby declares himself incompatible with liberty 
and progress, he finding himself in his element where absolut- 
ism and the magister dixit reign. To my mind the said 
schools should be established without regard to the Catholics, 
for it is just that all should enjoy the same benefits of instruc- 
tion in their respective religion, since all are to contribute to 
the popular and state burdens. 

ANSWERS TO THE INTERROGATORIES. 



Priest Orders Husband Out of His Own House.— Ignoble Treatment of 
a Respected Widow. — People Had to Submit Like Meek Lambs.— 
Preemasons Shot as Traitors. — Acquiring- Riches the Priests' Sole 
Aim. 

(Translation.) 

To the Honorable American Civil Commission : 

The undersigned, a resident of Nueva Caceras, the capital 
of the province of both Camarines, ex-clerk of the court of the 
first inst^nc^ pf the terminated government qi Spain, e^^-cpun- 



338 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

cillor of justice under the Filipino government, now under the 
United States, proprietor of and speculator in foreign and do- 
mestic fruits and produce, having informed himself, through 
the newspaper El Progreso, of the interrogatories relating 
to the social Philippine friar problem, formulated by the said 
illustrious corporation, believes in performing a patriotic duty 
by replying in the most categoric manner possible to each and 
all of the questions therein contained, and complies as follows : 

lo. The morality of the friars in the pueblos of the Philip- 
pines was, with very few exceptions, very scandalous, and 
reached the incredible in some pueblos of this province and 
Albay. . 

The parish friar placed in the position already described by 
the undersigned regarding his parish converted himself, up to 
a certain point, into an absolute lord, master of lives and prop- 
erty, and, if so willed, he made and unmade everything accord- 
ing to his fancy. 

Master of the will of the people, more through fear than 
out of love for him, he nominated town authorities who 
pleased him, which nomination resulted almost always in the 
greatest flatterer of all his parishioners, and it is plain that all 
weighty determinations dictated by the municipal authorities 
were not proper initiatives but those of his amours. Invested 
with this power, who would dare to resist any of his whims and 
those frailties of man of flesh and bone? If dominated by the 
temptation of an unholy love, neither the sacredness of the 
bridal-chamber nor the modesty of a virgin or widow detain 
him. Cases personally witnessed by the undersigned unfort- 
unately confirm the veracity of his assertions. A certain Fray 
Damaso Martinez was a foreign vicar in the years 1870 to 
1872 in the district of Lagonoy of this province, with resi- 
dence in that of Goa, and he was so despotic and wicked to the 
people of his pueblo — may God forgive him — that when going 
to the house of a married woman he ordered the husband to 
leave the house in order to be able to speak alone with his 
wife, and in this way he managed to seduce many, although he 
did so only to those he knew to be ignorant. 

But, if this vicar frmr only corniTiitt?4 those abuses on th§ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 339 

ignorant and uninstructed people, I have to relate another 
case, of which a distinguished lady was the victim, who passed 
as and was, in fact, a very honest woman. It was the work 
of the machinations of a friar, violently enamored of her. It 
happened in the pueblo of Polangui, province of Albay, and 
whose parish friar was the friar Fray Eusebio Platero. The 
lady was the widow of a Spaniard, and belonged to one of the 
finest families of that town. She had a brother more enlight- 
ened than the friar, and who was opposed to the latter's de- 
sires. Being aware of the friar's evil intentions toward his 
sister, the widow, he forbade her any kind of relation with 
him, particularly the frequent visits the friar made. Aware 
of this the priest at once contrived to bring a false accusation 
of assassination against the brother, which caused the latter to 
be pursued by the civil guard and the court of the first in- 
stance, and thanks to his being able to furnish the proofs of his 
innocence in time, the blow did not reach him, but he could 
not escape from all the daily vexations which did not cease to 
pursue him. 

Strong in his resolution to conquer the widow, who from 
the beginning exhibited the greatest contempt for his amor- 
ous pretensions, the friar did not delay to resort to the last re- 
course of sowing a mortal hatred between the brother and 
sister, and, withdrawn in this way from the influence of her 
brother, who saw himself obliged to threaten her with grave 
chastisements, she soon made common cause with the priest 
against her brother, and fell into the snare, bringing shame 
upon her family and occasioning for that reason the premature 
death of her brother. This ignoble action of the friar is very 
fresh in the memory of the people of Polangui (Albay). 

The friars, in their parishes as well as in the convents of 
the communities to which they belonged, devoted themselves 
more than anything else to acquire riches for their convents, 
and for this purpose they made use of all the means in their 
power in all the ranks of the administration, doing it under 
the mask of religion, before which the ignorance they at all 
cost desired to maintain among the common people, and the 



340 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

fanaticism fomenting in the country, had to keep silence like 
meek lambs. 

Little by little the people discovered these shameless acts, 
and on fixed occasions made manifestations of their com- 
plaints before the Spanish authorities, who, if they did not pay 
any attention, served only to strengthen more every time the 
friars' influence, who, on the other side, encouraged by im- 
punity, they repaid the offense of the bold with a strong ven- 
geance. If they were enlightened people they fell under the 
-weight of the accusation of being Freemasons and freeboot- 
ers, and were deported to some of the inhospitable Spanish 
possessions, or shot as traitors to the country by sentence of 
a courtmartial. The Filipino people knew that all this and the 
bad times they experienced in their pueblos under the Spanish 
rule were owing to the friars' intrigues and false reports, and 
therefore the people attacked them as their principal enemy. 

Through religious fanaticism the friars obtained from many 
a child or childless devotee, in the name of the Catholic church 
rich donations of money, jewelry, and valuable estates, but 
after receiving same they transferred them to the convents of 
their orders, and it is probable that in this way the great 
wealth they possess in the country was accumulated in the 
course of time. 

All the world knows that the friar, upon entering his re- 
ligious order, makes vows of poverty and can acquire nothing, 
neither for himself nor for his family or heirs. But once friar 
of a pueblo he believes himself entitled to acquire all kinds of 
treasures, and dying he leaves everything to his order. 

Nine-tenths of the friar parish priests leave progeny in 
their pueblos, and in each pueblo there exists a nucleus of 
families related to the friars, of good social position and fa- 
vored by the latter, and these are the ones who sigh and ask 
for the return of their natural protectors. The latter, in or- 
der to endow and maintain them in position, have had to op- 
press the people with a thousand rapacities under pretext of 
religion, custom, and piety. Let the commission go to the 
pueblo of Dumangas; there is Fray. Burillo with 6 children; 
iji Passi^ pray. Rrabo, with 4; in Pototan, Fraj^. An^brinoSj 




o 



,0 
O 



o 

o 



< 



22 



342 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: ' •" ^ 

with 3 ; in Duenas, Fray. Gallo, with i ; in Dingle and Jani- 
ceay, Fray. Llorente, with 7; in Oton, Fray. Yloz (Diego), 
with 8; Fray. Joaquin Fernandez, with 3; in Sara, Fray. Pual- 
ino, with 4; in Bugason, Fray. Manuel Arencio, with 6; in 
Dao (Antique), Fray. Bamba, with 8; in Guagua, Fray. Brabo 
(Antonio), with 3; in Lubao, Fray Munoz, with 2; in Bataan, 
Fray. Marcilla, with 10; in Binondo and Pandacan, Archbish- 
op Payo, with 4; and so on in the four bodies which serve the 
parishes. As they take the vows at the age of 16, before they 
know what marriage is or what it is for, when they later go out 
into the world, they open their eyes, they make up for lost 
time, having money and opportunity. 



VII 

ROMANISM AN AVOWED ENEMY 
OF OVR PVBLIC SCHOOLS. 



PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOT SUBJECT TO CIVIL POWER. 

First of all we quote from the Papal Encyclical, to show 
you how the Pope, who is the infallible head of the Roman 
Catholic Church, regards our public schools. Says he: ''The 
Romish Church has a right to interfere in the discipline of the 
public schools, and in the arrangement of studies of public 
schools, and in the choice of the teachers of the schools. 
Public schools, open to all children for the education of the 
young, should be under the control of the Romish Church, 
and should not be subject to the civil power or made to con- 
form to the opinions of the age." 

''PITS OF DESTRUCTION." 

So, one after another, the authorized agents and represent- 
atives from the Roman Catholic Church denounce our schools 
in the most violent language. They call them godless, infidel. 
The New York Freeman's Journal calls them ''pits of destruc- 
tion." It states how the little lambs of the Church fall into 
them, and calls them "a devouring fire." It warns parents 
that their children will be lost forever if they go to these 
schools ; and in the language which is best calculated to stir 
the heart of a Roman Catholic, denounces those that come 
under the influence of our system of public instruction. (N. 
Y. Freeman's Journal, Dec. ii, 1869.) Now all this is intend- 
ed, as you plainly see, to discredit the public schools, and to 
raise hostility against them on the part of Roman Catholic 
people, and on the part of Roman Catholic children. 



344 ^^H DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

A THREAT AGAINST OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 

We now quote from Monsignor Capel, a very distinguished 
Roman Catholic, who made a tour through the country, and 
stopped a long time in the city of New York, where he was 
the object of very great attention. His utterances concern- 
ing the purpose of Rome were among the boldest ever given 
in this country, and among them are the following. In the 
interview with Capel — an interview by Mr. H. A. Cram, re- 
corded in his ''Further Consideration of the So-called Free- 
dom-of-Worship Bill," to the question "Whom must we obey, 
if the State should command the citizen to do one thing, and 
the Church should command him to do another?" Monsig- 
nor Capel replied: ''Then he must obey the Church, of 
course." The Monsignor remarked, that the thing that was 
troubling him the most seriously was the school question; 
and he added: "I have not yet spoken upon this definitely, 
but I shall go to Washington when Congress is in session, for 
I am pursuing a careful study of your whole school system. 
The result is, there is going to be a fight — there are a good 
many Catholics in this country, eight millions, somebody 
said. Your public school system is inadequate for them, and 
they are going to leave it. Suppose that the Church sends 
out a command to State schools in every parish to establish 
and support parochial schools and send all Catholics to them. 
He says: "It can be done by the utterance of a word, sharp 
as the click of a trigger." Monsignor Capel! the American 
people are not afraid of the click of a trigger. We have heard 
it within the past five years. 

"That command," he says, "will be obeyed; new schools 
will spring up everywhere. What will be the result of that? 
A fight. If it is not a downright fight, it will be at least the 
war-like condition, a million or two of voting, tax-paying cit- 
izens war-like to the government," etc. To the prediction of 
a fio-ht, unless America submits to all the demands of Rome, 
we are already accustomed. The Catholic Herald of May 
24, 1879, is quoted as saying, "that a most awful conflict be- 
tween the power of good and evil is in the near future, and 
that the fate of the Republic depends on the result." And so 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 345 

cool and experienced an observer as General Grant said: ''If 
we are to have another contest in the near future of our na- 
tional existence, it will be between patriotism and intelligence 
on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on 
the other." He was awake to the threatenings of Romanism 
as you see ; and he closed that memorable warning with the 
words, "Keep the Church and State forever separate." 

OBEY, OR BE IN DANGER OF ETERNAL DAMNATION. 

Now it is a perfectly well-known fact, that there are thou- 
sands of Roman Catholics who sincerely love the public 
schools, and who are very reluctant to take their children out 
of those schools. You find that almost every Roman Catho- 
lic who has been trained in our schools has respect for them ; 
and you will find that he prefers that his children shall go to 
them rather than to the priests' schools* How is he to be 
prevented from sending his children to them? Why, all 
through this book, the threat is ringing from Bishop to Bish- 
op that when a Roman Catholic declines to take his children 
out of the public schools, he is at issue with the Church ; that 
is, in antagonism to it; and the Archbishops have given it 
as their opinion, and the Sacred Congregation of Rome as 
their opinion, and the Baltimore Plenary Council as their 
opinion, that in case the Roman Catholic population do not 
take their children out of the public schools, they shall not 
receive absolution at the confessional. What does that mean? 
Why it means this : "You and I believe that God forgives our 
sins. We go to Him in prayer, and expect from Him not 
only forgiveness as He has promised, but also the conscious 
evidence of that forgiveness in peace in our hearts. The Ro- 
man Catholic expects his absolution at the hands of the 
priests. Every Roman Catholic lives in mortal terror of dy- 
ing without priestly absolution. If he dies without having 
made confession and received that absolution, he has no hope 
of anything but eternal damnation, and if he lives without that 
absolution, he lives in mortal sin, and under the ban of the 
church. Now these priests are everywhere instructed that 
they may refuse absolution to parents who keep their children 



346 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

in the public schools. Is that mortal sin? Is it a mortal sin, 
endangering a man's eternal future, for him to give his child- 
ren the benefit of American schools? 

THE LITTLE SCHOOLHOUSE ON THE HILLSIDE. 

"Our schools teach loyalty. I have been in the pubHc 
schools. I remember that little schoolhouse on the hillside 
in a distant country town in Rhode Island, where a beautiful 
woman, now in heaven, inspired me both with respect for her 
sex and ambition for learning; where I went in the summer 
time barefooted, and with humble clothing, and learned the 
value of education by patient strivings, and was inspired to go 
further in its pursuit. I had been in public schools not as 
you have them here in the cities, in all their glory, but as we 
have them on the hills of New England. And this is what I 
remember was taught in those schools : Loyalty and love for 
the State; loyalty and love for man. I remember the day 
brave old John Brown was hung (I was only a little lad) in 
our school we almost covered our faces and wept, to think 
that so brave and good a man was dying that hour for his fel- 
low-man. We were taught there the principles of the Con- 
stitution. We were taught that the people were the source 
of political authority in the United States under God. We 
were taught that every child had the same rights as every 
other, and every citizen had the same rights as every other. 
We were taught history for the sake of knowing the truth, 
and there was nobody there that was afraid to have the truth 
told in history. We were taught science, and that we need 
not fear that what God revealed in nature, man might study 
in books. We were taught to fear and reverence God; and 
when, on the Lord's day, there used to come from far the 
Christian people of our neighborhood, to that old, unpainted 
schoolhouse, they opened the Bible and let us read it for our- 
selves, and so we learned something about the great and good 
God. That seems to be very helpful both to the State and to 
the person; but that can never co-exist with Romanism, so 
they say who speak for that system of ecclesiasticism." 




" mm ^ 



Will you Stand by the "Little School House" or by 
the Eomish Parochial Schools. 



348 THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

PRESIDENT GARFIEiLD ON THE DANaERS OF ROMANISM. 

President Garfield, in his letter of acceptance, July 12, 1880, 
said : ''Next in importance to freedom and justice, is popular 
education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be 
permanently maintained. It would be unjust to our people, 
and dangerous to our institutions, to apply any portion of the 
revenue of the nation, or of the State, to the support of sec- 
tarian schools. The separation of the Church and the State, 
in everything relating to taxation, should be absolute. 

CONTENTS OF A ROMAN CATHOLIC TEXT BOOK. 

You recollect that they call our schools ''godless schools." 
Godless schools! Then I suppose they would call their 
schools godly. Would you Jike to hear what they teach in 
these "godly" schools? Let me take time to tell you. Fort- 
unately, a text book is occasionally issued which discloses the 
spirit of their teaching without disguise. There is a volume, 
one of a series, entitled, "FamiHar Explanation of Christian 
Doctrine, adapted for the family and more advanced students 
in Catholic schools and colleges," published in 1875, by 
Kreuzer Brothers, Baltimore, and sanctioned by the Arch- 
bishop Bayley. Lesson XIL is called, "No salvation outside 
of the Roman Catholic Church." The questions and answers 
run thus : Q. Since the Roman Catholic Church alone is the 
true Church of Jesus Christ, can any one who dies outside of 
the Church be saved? A. He can not. Q. Did Jesus Christ 
himself assure us most solemnly, and in plain words, that no 
one can be saved out of the Roman Catholic Church? A. 
He did; when he said to His Apostles, 'Go and teach all na- 
tions,' etc." (I confess, I don't see the connection.) "Q. 
What do the Fathers of the Church say about the salvation of 
those who die out of the Roman Catholic Church? A. They 
all, without any exception, pronounce them infallibly lost for- 
ever." A little farther on may be found the following: "Q. 
Are there any other reasons to show that heretics, or Protest- 
ants, who die out of the Roman Catholic Church are not 
saved? A. There are several. They cannot be saved be- 
cause (i) They have no divine faith; (2) They make a liar of 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 349 

Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, of the Apostles; (3) They 
have no faith in Christ ; (4) They fell away from the true 
Church of Christ; (5) They are too proud to submit to the 
Pope, the Vicar of Christ ; (6) They cannot perform any good 
works whereby they can obtain heaven; (7) They do not 
receive the body and blood of Christ; (8) They die in their 
sins ; (9) They ridicule and blaspheme the mother of God and 
his saints; (10) They slander the spouse of Jesus Christ, the 
Catholic Church." Again, page 97 : "How do you think that 
God, the Father, will admit into heaven those who thus make 
liars of his Son, Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, and the 
Apostles? A. No; he will let them have their portion with 
Lucifer in hell, who first rebelled against Christ, and who is 
the father of liars. Q. Have Protestants any faith in Christ? 
A. They never had. Q. Why not? A. Because there never 
lived such a Christ as they imagine and believe in. Q. In 
what kind of a Christ do they believe? A. In such a one of 
whom they can make a liar, etc., etc. Q. Will such a faith in 
such a Christ save Protestants? A. No sensible man will as- 
sert such an absurdity. Q. What will Christ say to them on 
the day of Judgment? A. I know you not, because you never 
knew me." Again, page 104: ''Q. Are Protestants willing 
to confess their sins to a CathoHc Bishop, or priest, who alone 
has power from Christ to forgive sins?" (I could answer 
that myself without looking on the book.) " 'Whose sins you 
shall forgive, they are forgiven them.' A. No ; for they gen- 
erally have an utter aversion to confess and therefore their 
sins will not be forgiven through all eternity. Q. What fol- 
lows from this? A. That they will die in their sins, and are 
damned." These are the lessons instilled by Romish teachers 
in the minds of American youth. A child goes to one of the 
Roman Catholic schools, and soon learns of parents, brothers 
and sisters, that the Christ in whom they believe is no true 
Christ, and that they will all die in their sins and be damned, 
and not Romanists. This is not the teaching of an obscure 
priest, but of Archbishop Bayley. 

Would you rather have a godly school or a godless school, 
according to their definition? I confess that I begin to see 



350 



THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 



why they think and talk so much about being damned. It is be- 
cause people who tell lies like those above quoted deserve to 
be. Here is a text book teaching hatred of all other religions 
except that of Rome. Says Rev. Louis N. Beaudry, a very gen- 
tle and sweet-spirited man, who came out of a very pious 
Romish family: ''The first lesson that I learned as a Catholic 
child was to hate Protestants." Says a gentleman in this 
city, who is a, convert from the Roman CathoHc Church, and 
who is now a minister of the French Baptist Church : "When 
I was a little boy, in Canada, at school, we were encouraged 
in dislike of our Protestant fellow-pupils, so that we thought 
it right to throw missiles at them, and abuse them ; and often 
they went bleeding from the encounter, having committed no 
offense against us, only they were Protestants." Such a 
spirit as that of the text book above quoted will not assist to 
the improvement or elevation of education; nor will teaching 
of that kind be likely to give us civilization, but rather bar- 
barism. 

STATE EDUCATION A DAMNABLE HEUESY. 

Pius the IX., in his syllabus, declared that "education out- 
side the control of the Roman Catholic Church is a damnable 
heresy." And why? The facts are these: 

Whatever expels darkness hurts Romanism. 

Whatever removes ignorance hurts Romanism. 

Whatever drives away superstition hurts Romanism. 

Whatever emancipates from slavery hurts Romanism. 

Whatever lifts man up into liberty of thought and speech 
hurts Romanism. 

No wonder, then, that the Pope of the Romanists declares 
state education to be a damnable heresy. 

A good authority on this position of the Church is Rev. Dr. 
McGlynn, and he says: "The leaders (the Pope, Cardinals and 
Bishops) in the Catholic Church at Rome to-day are protest- 
ing vigorously that there is already too much education ; that 
the less education the people have, the better it will be for 
them." 



352 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

WILL WE FORGET THE WORK DONE BY OUR FATHERS? 

No country in Europe has been more thoroughly con- 
trolled by Romanists than Spain. The priests have had the 
moulding of the popular mind for centuries, and they have 
drawn from the people a larger revenue than that of the gov- 
ernment, yet a more demoralized and illiterate people cannot 
be found in the civilized world ! Out of their sixteen millions 
twelve millions can neither read nor write, and only three mil- 
lions can both read and write. 

Do you want this state of affairs to be brought about on 
this side of the Atlantic ? Are you ready to give up the price- 
less boon for which your fathers died? Shall the old man on 
the banks of the Tiber dictate the policy that shall govern 
your schools? We trust not. 

SERVILITY OF THE ROMISH PRESS. 

''This subject (the public schools) contains in it the whole 
question of the progress and triumph of the Catholic Church 
in the next generation in this country." — Freeman's Journal. 

"The temporal order or civil government is not supreme 
and independent, but in the very nature of things subordinate 
to the spiritual ; the Pope is the proper authority to decide for 
me whether the Constitution of this country is or is not repug- 
nant to the laws of God." — Catholic Review. 

'Xet the public school systen;i go where it came from — 
the devil. What we Roman Catholics must do now is to get 
our children out of this devouring fire. At any cost and any 
sacrifice we must deliver the children over whom we have con- 
trol from these pits of destruction, which lie invitingly in their 
way under the name of public or district schools." — Western 
(Chicago) Tablet. 

"If your son or daughter is attending a state school, you 
may be as certain that you are violating your duty as Catho- 
lic parents, and conducing to the everlasting anguish and de- 
spair of your child, as if you could take your oath of it ! Take 
him away. Let him rather never know how to write his name 
than become the bound and chained slave of Satan. If the 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 353 

Tablet declared some time ago that it was better for a child 
to run in the streets, in which occupation he became a thief, 
but stood, at last, some chance of saving his soul, than attend 
a godless school, whose teachings resulted in making him a 
rogue, and an unbeliever, we see no reason to withdraw from 
such a statement." — The Shepherd of the Valley. 

! 

THE VOICE OF STATESMEN. 

Daniel Webster once said, ''The public schools are a pre- 
ventative of anarchy, pauperism, vice and crime." 

''Keep your mind open to the light, and your schools bright 
with historic and divine truth." — Cheever. 

'Xeave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church 
and the private school supported entirely by private contribu- 
tion. Keep the State and the Church forever separate." — 
U. S. Grant. 

''In a country where the organic law, like ours, proclaims 
absolute freedom of religion, we have no right to appropriate 
any of the public money or land to sectarian schools." — Dex- 
ter A. Hawkins. 

"Resolved, that the universal education is a necessity of 
our government, and that the American free school system 
should be maintained and preserved as a safeguard of Ameri- 
can liberty." — American Party Platform. 

"It seems to me that this (school) question ought to be set- 
tled in some . definite and comprehensive way, and the only 
settlement that can be final is the complete victory for non- 
sectarian schools. I am sure this will be demanded by the 
American people at all hazards, and at any cost." — James G. 
Blaine. 

VOICE OF THE BOMISH PRESS. 

"These public schools are a devouring fire and pits of de- 
struction ; they ought to go back to the devil from whence 
they came." — The Freeman's Journal. 

"The common schools of this country are sinks of moral 
pollution and nurseries of hell." — The Chicago Tablet. 



354 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"The public or common school system is a swindle on the 
people, an outrage on justice, a foul disgrace in matters of 
morals, and should be aboHshed forthwith." — The Tablet. 

"Catholics would not be satisfied with the public "schools 
even if the Protestant Bible and every vestige of religious 
teachings were banished from them." — A Catholic Priest in 
the Boston Advertiser. 

"Education itself is the business of the spiritual society 
alone and not of the secular society. The State usurps the 
functions of the spiritual society when it turns educator." — 
The Tablet. 

"The horrible immoralities of the youth in public schools, 
and the disregard of religion among those brought up under 
their influences, prove our position, that the future of the 
Catholic religion in this land is bound up with the exclusion 
of every schooling not under Catholic direction and control. 
Let the public school system go where it came from — the 
devil." — Freeman's Journal. 

"Resolved, that the public school system in the city of New 
York is a swindle on the people, an outrage on justice, a foul 
disgrace in matters of morals, and that it employs the State 
legislature to abolish it at once." — Freeman's Journal. 

PROTESTANTISM IS THE POWER OP TO-DAY. 

Vv'e have seventy milHons and they have about ten millions, 
but let us guard our future. Let the nation be kind to those 
of Catholic faith who have come here, and because it is a free 
country receive them, asking only that they may be peaceable 
citizens. 

All governments have national institutions, and so has ours. 
We have the Constitution and the American school system. 
Let the nation say to the Catholics, Respect these and we will 
respect you. If you touch these, you become rebels. In your 
own country you were v;retched slaves, here you are free. men. 
Respect, then the sacred institutions of the nation which 
adopts you. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 355 

VOICE OF THE CARDINALS. 

"Stand by the Catholic schools."— Cardinal McClosky. 

''We must take part in elections." — Cardinal McClosky. 

''A right knowledge of the catechism, minus Massachusetts 
education, is preferable to her education, minus the cate- 
chism." — Cardinal Antonelli. 

"The Church alone is endowed with the power to educate 
the young." — Cardinal McClosky. 

"The common school system of the United States is the 
worst in the world." — Cardinal Manning. 

"The catechism is alone essential for the education of the 
people." — Cardinal AntonelU. 

"We must take part in the elections. Move in solid mass 
in every State against the party pledged to sustain the integ- 
rity of the public schools." — Cardinal McClosky. 

"Rationalism, or rather atheism of the State consists in the 
exclusion from the civil government of all rehgious influence; 
above all that of the true religion of the Church of Jesus 
Christ, or, in other words, the separation of the State from 
the Church, absolute independence of the State with regard 
to the Church, which means the oppression of the Church by 
the State." — Cardinal Manning. 

VOICE OF THE POPES. 

"Education outside the control of the Roman Catholic 
Church is damnable heresy." — Pope's Syllabus. 

"When I see them drag from me the children, the poor lit- 
tle children, and give them an infidel education, it breaks my 
heart."— Pope Pius IX. 

"The Romish Church has a right to interfere in the disci- 
pline of the public schools, and in the arrangements of the 
studies of the public schools, and in the choice of teachers for 
these schools." — Pope Pius IX., Enc. 45. 

"Public schools open to all children for the education of the 
young should be under the control of the Romish Church, 
and should not be subject to the civil power nor made to con- 
form to the opinions of the age." — Pope Pius IX., Enc. 47. 



356 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

^'While teaching primarily the knowledge of natural things, 
the public school must not be separated from the faith and 
power of the Romish Church." — Pope Pius IX., Enc. 48. 

INFIDELITY PREFERABLE TO PROTESTANTISM. 

The Jesuits are the irregular cavalry, or rather the unscrup- 
ulous guerilla forces of the Papacy, whose detestable prin- 
ciples and impertinent interference with the political affairs of 
nations, have secured to them the scorn and hatred of all the 
world, and caused their expatriation from almost every coun- 
try under the sun. These unprincipled enemies of the hu- 
man race are swarming everywhere in this land, and ever^y- 
where seeking to fasten upon us the hateful fetters of Romish 
despotism. 

The parochial schools, and other educational institutions 
of Rome are being used for the same purpose. In all these 
combined they claim to have more than nine hundred thou- 
sand young people. This great host of children and young 
people are being taught that all Protestants are outlawed by 
God and the Pope, and are all doomed to the eternal flames 
of hell as heretics. And so we see that while it is of the ut- 
most importance that we shall be one homogenous people, the 
priests of Rome are doing their utmost to cause divisions, and 
to educate their people to despise and hate Protestants, and 
Protestant institutions. These Romish schools are nests of 
treason, and most dangerous to the welfare of the Republic. 
A book was published not long ago by a Romish priest named 
Segur, and endorsed by several prelates, and entitled: "A 
Plain Talk About the Protestantism of To-Day.." In it he 
says : "The Holy Bible is not, and cannot be the rule of faith. 
Protestantism cannot be the religion of the people. No man 
out of the Roman Catholic Church can inherit eternal life, 
unless he is absolutely ignorant of the teachings of the true 
Church." He says the infidelity of France is much to be pre- 
ferred to the Protestant religion. "To be a Christian is to 
be a Roman Catholic. Outside of Catholicity you may be a 
Lutheran, a Calvinist, a Mohammedan, a Mormon, a Free- 
thinker, a Buddhist; but you are not, you cannot be a Chris- 
tian," 








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358 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

''PUBLIC SCHOOLS A NATIONAL FRAUD.'' 

At the convention held at St. Louis, October 17, 1873, Fa- 
ther Phelan said: "The children of the public schools turn 
out to be public horse thieves, scholastic counterfeiters and 
well versed in schemes of deviltry, I frankly confess that 
Catholics stand before the country as the enemies of the pub- 
lic schools. They are afraid that the child that left home in 
the morning would come back with something in his heart as 
black as hell." 

Father McCarthy, in a sermon December 23, 1887, said: 
"The public school is a national fraud ; it must cease to exist, 
and the day will come when it will cease to exist." 

Archbishop Ireland, in a speech at Rome, 1892, said: "We 
can have the United States in ten years, and I want to give you 
three points for your consideration, the Indians, the negroes 
and the public schools." 

Archbishop Hughes says : "The public school system is a 
disgrace to the civilization of the nineteenth century." 

PUBLIC MONEY FOR SECTARIAN SCHOOLS. 

Rome claims the right to take money from the public treas- 
ury to run her parochial schools, and when this can not be 
done she uses every exertion to put in Catholic teachers and 
nuns as instructors in the public schools. State aid for relig- 
ious schools is one of the most dangerous attacks that can be 
made upon our liberties. 

"President Garfield used these wise words: "It would be 
dangerous to our institutions to apply any portion of the rev- 
enue of the nation or the State to the support of sectarian 
schools." — (Letter of Acceptance, July 12, 1880.) 

General Grant said: "Encourage free schools and resolve 
that not one dollar appropriated to them shall be applied to 
the support of any sectarian school." — (To the Army of the 
Tennessee, Des Moines, 1876.) 

"EDUCATION A DANGEROUS HERESY." 

Pope Pius IX. said: "Education outside the control of the 
Roman Catholic Church is a dangerous heresy * * * Public 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSED. 359 

schools open to all children for the education of the young 
should be under the control of the Roman Catholic Church 
and should not be subject to the civil power, nor made to con- 
form with the opinions of the age." — (Pius IX., Encyc. 47.) 

VOICE OF THE ROMISH PRIESTS. 

"The public schools have produced nothing but a godless 
generation of thieves and blackguards." — Priest Schauer. 

"Unless you suppress the public school system at present 
conducted, it will prove the damnation of this country." — 
Father Walker. 

"I frankly confess that the Catholics stand before the coun- 
try as the enemies of the pubHc schools." — Father Phelan. 

"You (Catholics) must refuse to give a vote for any man 
who is not for free denominational education." — Father 
Boylan. 

"These so-called public schools are not public schools but 
infidel and sectarian. Catholic parents who send their child- 
ren to such schools are guilty of mortal sin." — Rev. Dr. Frul. 

THE NECESSITY OF KEEPING UP OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 

"The future of our country depends very largely upon the 
training of the children of to-day." 

In view of this fact, no lover of this country can look with 
any degree of allowance upon any person or persons who 
would thoughtlessly, or otherwise, tamper with our public 
schools. 

Our system, although not perfect, is, we believe, one of 
the very best. It aims at the education of the entire child- 
hood of the nation, and no child is to be neglected on account 
of poverty or color. 

Education is closely identified with our nation's welfare. 
This will be readily granted by every thoughtful person. It 
is essential for us to maintain our school system, even if we 
only consider the welfare of those already among us; but 
when we think of the thousands of different nationalities and 
various faiths who are continually landing on our shores, the 
necessity of keeping up our system becomes still more im- 



36o THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

perative, from the fact that a degree of intelHgence and edu- 
cational development is demanded by a healthy, sound citi- 
zenship. 

TERRIBLE TALE TOLD BY OUR PRISONS AND JAILS. 

Are you aware that nine-tenths of all the inmates of our 
prisons and jails received their education (what little they had) 
in the Roman Catholic schools? 

1 

PRIESTS PROTEST AGAINST OPENING PUBLIC SCHOOL COUNTY 
INSTITUTES WITH PRAYER. 

The Missouri priests have entered a protest against public 
school county institutes being opened with prayer. They 
have applied to the courts for an injunction. The last pub- 
lished act in the drama occurred at Lebanon, Missouri, where 
at the late session of the teachers' institute, the following dis- 
patch was received : 

"Kindly stop unconstitutional and illegal praying and sing- 
ing, etc., at the institute. 

H. B. OXAuciHLm.'; 

When it was found that but one of the teachers enrolled in 
the institute was a Roman Catholic, the community, as well 
as the members of the body, were justly indignant at the big- 
oted insolence of this priest. 

THE LITTLE RED SCHOOL-HOUSE. 

Tune — Old Oaken Bucket. 

The little red school-house is nearer and dearer, 
As down through the years I am passing along; 

How often the lessons I learned there have helped me, 
Nor can I refrain now to raise this my song. 

No "Mulligan Guards" in the school of my childhood, 
We read, not with prejudice, but with our eye. 

^ Chorus. 

I'll vote for the school house, the little red school house, 
I'll vote for the school house, I'll save it or die, 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 361 

In lands where the Romans hold longest dominion, 

Is ignorance blackest and darkest is crime. 
Awaken, ye Yankees, and guard well the school house ! 

The foe is upon us — don't lose any time! 
For foreign hands clutch the throat of our nation, 

Come enter the battle with this for your cry : 

Cho. — I'll vote for the school house, etc. 

We sang "Hail Columbia" instead of "Hail Mary," 

And "never a once" to the Pope did we kneel; 
No crossing ourselves in the little red school house, 

Then why let the Romans our treasury steal ? 
Our teachers had Bibles and led our devotions, 

But now all such teachers and Bibles must fly. 

Cho. — I'll vote for the school house, etc. 

A CALL TO ACTION. 

Rouse, my brothers ! wake to action, 

For a wily foe is here. 
Marshalled 'gainst our schools and freedom ; 

Surely there is cause for fear. 

Let no siren song deceive you ; 

Heed the alarm by duty given; 
Up ! and arm you for the conflict ! 

Rouse ye, in the name of heaven ! 

Pope and bishop, priest and laymen, 

All conspire to make you slaves ; 
God of mercy, wake this nation. 

Or we'll sleep in cowards' graves. 

Sons of sires who bled and suffered — 

Saved us from a despot's chain — 
Say, shall coming ages witness 

Tyrants ruling here again? 

Ruling souls and ruling bodies 

With a worse than despot's rod, 
Crushing all that's pure and precious 

In the holy name of God ! 

Men who fought and purchased freedom 

For the millions bound in chains, 
Will you falter in devotion 

While the God of justice reigns? 




o 
o 

o 
m 

•l-l 

u 
a; 

s 

d 
o 

o 



0) 

a 

o 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 363 

Mothers ! daughters ! will you vainly 
" Close your ears to duty's call? 
You must hear and heed with action, 
Or fair freedom's temple falls. .' 

Mothers, daughters, join this army! 

Join your brothers in the fight; ' 

Or the glorious star of freedom 

Soon will sink in darkest night. — S. H. Hatch. 

AWAKE, YE SONS OE EREEDOM! 

Awake, ye sons of freedom ! 

Arou§e ye in your might; 
And in defense of liberty 

Make ready for the fight. 
An unseen foe is lurking near — 

A serpent in disguise — 
Though clad in vestments of the cross 

A cloven foot he hides. 

Awaken, ye sons of freedom 

Before it is too late. 
Arouse this sleeping nation 

To its impending fate; 
Break down the vaunted power 

These Romish minions claim 
Before the inquisition 

And stake are raised again. 

Awake, ye sons of freedom! 

In majesty arise, 
And swear by the Eternal 

This hideous monster dies. 
Unbar the convent prisons, 

Those living tombs of shame 
Where human souls in bondage 

Are crushed by Error's chain. 

Awake, ye sons of freedom ! 

Shake oflF this lethargy 
And help to make our Public Schools. 

The bulwark of the free, 
To all the people of the world 

Send out this proclamation ] 

. No mitered Pope or cardinal priest 

Shall rule this mighty nation. 



VIH. 

AVmCVLAR CONFESSION THE 

DEVIL'S INVENTION. 



ORIGIN OP AURICULAR CONFESSION 

This is another of the ''abominations" mothered by the 
Church of Rome. We regret that our space demands that we 
say much less on this subject than its importance demands. 
The so-caUed sacrament of auricular confession was establish- 
ed by the Fourth Lateran Council of Trent in the following 
decrees: 

"Whoever shall deny that sacramental confession was insti- 
tuted by divine command, or that it is necessary to salvation; 
or shall afhrm that the practice of secretly confessing to the 
priest alone as it has ever been observed from the beginning 
by the Catholic Church, and is still observed, is foreign to the 
institution and command of Christ, and, is a human invention: 
Let Him Be Accursed. 

"Whoever shall af^rm, that in order to obtain forgiveness 
of sins in the sacrament of penance, it is not by divine com- 
mand necessary to confess all and every mortal sin which oc- 
curs to the memory after due and diligent premeditation — in- 
cluding secret offenses, &c. : Let Him Be Accursed." 

The horrible disorders, seduction, adulteries, and abomin- 
ations of every kind that have sprung from this practice of au- 
ricular confession, especially in Spain and other Popish coun- 
tries, are familiar to all acquainted with the history of Popery 
for the six centuries that have transpired since the Fourth 
Council of Latern. The details of individual facts on this 
subject are hardly fit to meet the public eye, though multi- 
tudes of them might be easily cited, derived not only from the 
testimony of Protestants, but from the admission of Papists 
themselves, and from the numerous, though ineffectual laws 
that have been passed to restrain the practice of priestly so- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 365 

licitation of females at confession. Nor can this be a matter of 
surprise. The evil is inherent in the system. Let any person 
of common sense examine the list of subjects, and the ques- 
tions for the examination of conscience in any Popish book 
of devotion, but more especially (if he understands Latin) the 
directions to young priests in Dens, and other standard works 
for the study of Popish theology; then let him remember that 
the subjects of these beastly inquiries are often young, beau- 
tiful and interesting females ; and that the questioners are 
men, often young and vigorous, burning with the fires of pas- 
sion ; in some instances almost wrought up to frenzy by a vow 
of celibacy which they would be glad to shake off, and then he 
will cease to wonder that the confessional has so often been 
turned into a school of licentiousness, seduction, and adultery. 

SOME OF THE AWFUL RESULTS OF THIS PRACTICE. 

Rev. William Hogan, who had been for many years a Ro- 
man Catholic priest in Philadelphia, and other parts of the 
country, left that communion, and, having been bitterly per- 
secuted by the papists, he pubHshed a book telUng what he 
knew about popery. That book was pubHshed in 1845, ^^^ i^ 
eight years more than fifty-six thousand copies were sold ; and 
from 1854 to i860, it is said, probably forty thousand addi- 
tional copies were disposed of. 

Mr. Hogan, after quoting some of the questions asked in the 
confessional, says : ''Does any husband really know that when 
his wife goes to confession — and probably she leans on his 
arm while she is going there — that the above questions are 
put to her? Assuredly he does not. Otherwise we must sup- 
pose him to be a man of base principles in permitting such a 
thing. But even if he should suspect it, and ask his wife 
whether they were put to her, should he call upon the priest 
and bring him and his wife face to face; should he ask them 
severally whether such questions were put to the wife by the 
priest, they will jointly and severally deny it under oath, and 
in doing this they both feel justified; or, to speak more cor- 
rectly and plainly, the priest is laughing in his sleeve, and his 
wife is the dupe. The reason, however, for the course they 



366 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

pursue is this: The infalHble Church teaches that when a 
priest is in the confessional he sits there as God, and not as 
man; and when he denies under oath, that he put such ques- 
tions, he means that he did not put such questions as man, but 
as God; and when the lady is asked whether such questions 
were put to her she will say, on oath, they were not, because 
it was God, and not man, that asked them. I have asked such 
'. uestions and given such reasons over and over again while 
acting as a Romish priest. I have asked till my soul sickened 
with disgust. There is not a priest in the United States that 
does not ask them. No, not one. Judge, then, of the moral 
waste and wilderness which Romish priests are effecting by 
hewing and cleaving everything that blooms, or bears the fruit 
of virtue and holiness." 

Father Hogan says: ''While officiating as a Roman Cath- 
olic priest in , I became acquainted with a Roman Cath- 
olic lady and gentleman of good character and considerable 
wealth. The husband stood well in society, and so did the 
wife; and I believe both deserved it. There was but one bar- 
rier, to all appearances, in the way of their happiness. They 
had no children, and, having no blood or family alliances in the 
country, this seemed a source of distress to the wife; though 
I could not help remarking that they were an extremely fond 
couple. Not very long after my acquaintance with them, the 
wife called on me, told me her grievance in not having chil- 
dren, and asked me how much it would cost her to purchase 
from the Church her interference in the matter, and the bless- 
ing of having children. I forgot my usual caution. Indigna- 
tion took the place of poUcy (It is evident that Father Hogan 
was no Jesuit) ; I forgot for a moment that I was bound to 
keep the secrets of the Pope and the infallible Church, and to 
defend them both, right or wrong. I replied indignantly, 
'Madam, you are the dupe of priestcraft. There is no power in 
the Church to countervail the will of God.' The lady retired; 
and I cannot give the reader a better idea of the papist woman, 
or the consummate villainy of Romish priests in the confes- 
sional, than by relating what followed. She called upon me 
the day following, related that since she saw me she called 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 367 

on the Rev. Mr. , a Franciscan friar, who hved only a few 

doors from me; and having told him what I said to her, he 
raised his hands in pious astonishment, and told her he ex- 
pected nothing better from me; that he had suspected me of 
heresy for some time past, and had now a proof of it, and that 
I should be cast out of the pale of the Church as fit society 
only for the devils ; and, accordingly, in a few months after, 
this holy friar and the holy bishop of the diocese solemnly 
cursed me, from the head to the toe-nails, casting me into hell 
for such damnable heresies. I understand that the lady of 
whom I have spoke is now blessed with an interesting family 
of children, and her husband one of the happiest fathers in the 
world. Thus are the streams of domestic happiness and social 
Hfe polluted in our very midst by Romish priests; and yet, 
they are encouraged, they are fed, they are sustained, they are 
received into society by the very men whose wives and daugh- 
ters they have ruined, and with whose happiness they have 
sported and gambled. 

''It is well known to Protestants, even in the United States, 
that it is a common practice of Romish priests to seduce fe- 
males in the confessional, and it is, or should be, equally well 
known that these very same priests hear the confessions of the 
very females whom they have seduced. It is an article of faith 
in the Roman CathoHc Church that the crimes of a priest do 
not disqualify him from forgiving the sins of his penitent, and 
hence it is that there are opportunities for demoralizing every 
community where they are in the ascendant, almost exceed- 
ing the conception. Persuade a woman that if she sins, you 
can forgive her as truly and effectually as Almighty God could 
forgive her, and you take away every check from vice. All 
restraint is removed. The voice of true religion is silenced, 
and sin prevails. 

"The iniquity of Romish priests in the confessional can 
scarcely be imagined. There is nothing like it; it is a thing by 
itself; there is a chasm between itself and other crimes which 
human depravity cannot pass. Just fancy our innocent female 
on her knees before an artful, unbelieving priest ! Why will 
they entrust themselves, alone and unprotected by father or 



368 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

mother, or brother or honorable lover, with these scheming, 
artful priests ? Why will mothers, married women, go to con- 
fession to these men, or why will husbands be such inconceiv- 
able dupes as to permit it?" 

Father Hogan relates a fact well known to him when an of- 
ficiating priest in Albany, N. Y. He says : "The Roman 
Catholics of Albany had, during about two years previous to 
my arrival among them, three Irish priests alternately with 
them occasionally preaching, but always hearing confessions. 
I know the names of these men ; one of them is dead, the other 
two living, and now in full communion in the Romish Church, 
still saying mass and hearing confessions. As soon as I got 
settled in Albany, I had, of course, to attend to the duty of 
auricular confession, and in less than two months I found that 
these priests during the time that they were there, were the 
fathers of between sixty and one hundred children, besides 
having debauched many who had left the place previous to 
their confinement. Many of these children were by married 
women, who were among the most zealous supporters of those 
vagabond priests, and whose brothers and relatives were ready 
to wade, if necessary, knee deep in blood for the holy, immacu- 
late and infallible Church of Rome !" Father Hogan says that 
in the church in which he officiated in Albany there were no 
confessional boxes, so that ''the priests had to hear confes- 
sions in the sacristy of the church. This is a small room back 
of the altar, in which the Eucharist, containing, according to 
the Romish belief, the real body and blood of Jesus Christ is 
kept while the mass is not celebrating in the chapel. This 
room is always fastened by a lock and key of the best work- 
manship, and the key kept by the priest, day and night. This 
sacristy, containing the wafer which the priests blasphemously 
adore, was used by them as a place to hear confessions and 
here they committed habitually those acts of immorality and 
crime of which I have spoken. 

"I have seen husbands unsuspiciously hospitably entertain- 
ing the very priests who seduced their wives in the confes- 
sional, and was the father of some of the children who" sat at 
the same table with them, each of the wives unconscious of the 




Secrets Affecting- Father, Husband, Brother or Son, Eeveale<i to tJie 

Priest in the Confessiojial. 



370 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

other's guilt, and the husbands of both not even suspecting 
them. The husband of her who goes to confession has no 
hold upon her affections. If he claims a right to her confi- 
dence he claims what he can never receive ; he claims what she 
has not to give. She has long since given it to her confessor, 
and he can never retain it. She looks to her confessor for ad- 
vice in everything. She may appear to be fond of her hus- 
band ; it is even possible she may be so in reality. She may be 
gentle, meek and obedient to her husband, — her confessor will 
advise her to be so; but she will not give him her confidence; 
she cannot, — that is already in the hands of her confessor. He 
stands as an incarnate fiend between husband and wife, mother 
and daughter. All the ties of domestic happiness and recipro- 
cal duties are thus violated with impunity through the instru- 
mentality of auricular confession. 

*'I care not how intelligent he may appear to be, or what his 
acquirements or accomplishments may be ; if he is weak 
enough, fool enough, or hypocrite enough and mean enough 
to go to confession to a Romish priest he deserves not the 
name of a free man." 

HUMAN MONSTERS IN THE CONFESSIONAL BOX. 

"More than once I have seen women fainting in the confes- 
sional box who told me afterwards that the necessity of speak- 
ing to an unmarried man on certain things, on which the com- 
mon laws of decency ought to forever have sealed their lips, 
had almost killed them. Not hundreds, but thousands of times, 
I have heard from the lips of dying girls, as well as of married 
woman, the awful words : 'I am forever lost ! All my past con- 
fessions and communions have been so many sacrileges. I 
have never dared to answer correctly the questions of my con- 
fessors ! Shame has sealed my lips and damned my soul !' 

"When, very early one morning I had begun to hear the 
confessions, one of those unfortunate victims of the confes- 
sor's depravity came to me, and in the midst of many tears and 
sobs, she told me, with great details, what I repeat here in a 
few lines : 

" 'I was only nine years old when my first confessor began 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 2>T^ 

to do very criminal things with me, every time I was at his 
feet confessing my sins. At first I was ashamed and much dis- 
gusted; but soon after I became so depraved that I was look- 
ing eagerly for every opportunity of meeting him, either in his 
own house or in the church, in the vestry, and many times in 
his own garden when it was very dark at night. That priest 
did not remain very long; he was removed, to my great regret, 
to another place where he died. He was succeeded by another, 
who seemed at first to be a very holy man. I made to him 
a general confession with, it seemed to me, a sincere desire 
to give up forever that sinful life. But I fear that my confes- 
sion became a cause of sin to that good priest ; for not long 
after my confession was finished he declared to me, in the con- 
fessional, his love, with such passionate words that he soon 
brought me down again into my former criminal habits with 
him. This lasted six years, when my parents removed to this 
place. I was very glad of it for I hoped that, being away from 
him I should not be any more a cause of sin to him, and that 
I might begin a better life. But the fourth time I went to con- 
fess to my new confessor he invited me to go to his room 
where we did things so disgusting together that I do not know 
how to confess them. It was two days before my marriage, 
and the only child I have had is the fruit of that sinful hour. 

" 'After my marriage I continued the same criminal life with 
my confessor. He was the friend of my husband ; we had many 
opportunities of being together, not only when I Avas going 
to confess, but when my husband was absent and my child was 
at school. It was evident to me that many other women were 
as miserable and criminal as I was myself. This sinful inter- 
course with my confessor went on till God Almighty stopped 
it with a real thunderbolt. My dear only daughter had gone 
to confess, and received the holy communion. As she came 
back from church much later than I expected I inquired the 
reason that had kept her so long. She then threw herself into 
my arms, and, with convulsive cries, said, "Dear mother, do 
not ask me to go to confess any more. Oh, if you could only 
know what the confessor asked me when I was at his feet ! and 
if you could know what he has done with me, and has forced 



372 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

me to do with him, when he had me alone in his parlor !" My 
poor child could not speak any longer ; she fainted in my arms. 
As soon as she recovered, without losing a minute I dressed 
myself, and, full of an inexpressible rage, I directed my steps 
towards the parsonage. But before leaving my house I had 
concealed under my shawl a sharp butcher's knife, to stab and 
kill the villain who had destroyed my dearly beloved child. 
Fortunately for that priest, God changed my mind before I 
entered his room. My words to him were few and sharp. 

'' 'You are a monster!' I said to him. 'Not satisfied to have 
destroyed me, 3^ou must also destroy my own dear child which 
is yours also ! Shame upon you ! I had come with a knife to 
put an end to your infamies, but so short a punishment would 
be too mild a one for such a monster. I want you to live, that 
you may bear upon your head the curse of the two unsuspect- 
ing and unguarded friends whom you have so cruelly deceived 
and betrayed. But know that if you are not away from this 
place before the end of this week, I will reveal everything to 
my husband, and you may be sure that he will not let you live 
twenty-four hours longer ; foi he sincerely thinks that your 
daughter is his ; he will be the avenger of her honor ! I go this 
very day to denounce you to the bishop, that he may take you 
away from this parish, which you have so shamelessly pol- 
luted.' 

" 'The priest threw himself at my feet, ^nd, with tears, 
asked my pardon, imploring me not to denounce him to the 
bishop, and promising that he would change his life and begin 
to live as a good priest. But I remained inexorable. I went 
to the bishop and warned his Lordship of the consequences 
that would follow if he kept that curate any longer in the place, 
as he seemed inclined to do. But before the eight days had 
expired he was put at the head of another parish, not very far 
away from here.' " 

Mr. Chiniquy says : "The reader will, perhaps, like to 
know what became of that priest. He remained at the head of 
that beautiful parish Beaumont, where, I knew it for a fact, he 
continued to destroy his penitents till a few years before he 
died, with a reputation of a good, amiable man, and a holy coti- 
fesspf." 




•You Are a Monster!" 



24 



374 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

THE DANGER OF HANDLING INELAMMABLI^ MATERIAL. 

"The Nun of Kenmare" says : The confessional, as prac- 
ticed in the Roman Church, is a cesspool of iniquity for the 
temptation of the priest. It is all very well, and true, to say 
that the laity may escape danger, but most certainly the priests 
cannot do so. He is obliged, by the most sacred obligations 
of his office, to probe to the bottom of every evil thought as 
well as to the end of every act. Those who have not been 
guilty of gross sins may think the priest has only to hear a fe\y 
of the little faults of which they have been guilty. 

In this case it may be said, as in the case of celibacy of the 
clergy, that if it was of Divine ordinance, God would protect 
the priest from evil; but no fair-minded mian who has read, I 
will not say the Bible, but the "Fathers," of whom the Roman 
Church boasts so much, can assert that they ever inculcated or 
practiced confession as it is practiced to-day in the Church of 
Rome. I do not myself think that there is so much harm done 
at present to the young in the confessional. Of course there 
are priests so evil-minded as to ask young women questions 
on subjects of which they are and should be, absolutely ignor- 
ant. I know that an English convert priest, since dead in the 
odor of sanctity, gave a young girl her first knowledge of evil 
in the confessional ; but from what she told me, I think that 
he did not know the fearful harm that he was doing. But he 
should have known it; and I know that it was long years be- 
fore that lady recovered from the shock that she received. It 
must be remembered that all this, and even worse, far from 
being made a reproach to a priest by his Church, will be con- 
sidered a matter of duty. A priest is like a man who is always 
handling inflammable materials. He knows theoretically that 
he may be blown up some day, and that he may, by the least 
want of caution, cause fearful injury to others. Using ex- 
plosive material has lead to practical indifference to danger, 
and too often he pays the penalty, or makes others pay it. So 
it^is in the confessional. A priest may not be personally evil or 
inclined to evil, but is handling inflammable material all the 
time, and the result in the spiritual life is even more likely to 
be fatal than in the temporal. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 375 

I must confess for myself that the wonder to me is not that 
there are so many priests who drown their misery in drink, but 
that any escape. Hour after hour, for long weary hours, they 
are seated in the confessional listening to tales either of the 
most contemptible petty squabbles and scruples, or to sins of 
the blackest hue. Hour after hour they have to give the same 
mechanical absolution, and the same stereotyped advice. Hour 
after hour they have to sit in a constrained position, often pro- 
ductive of terrible disease, and to inhale the breath of the 
drunken, dissolute, and diseased. Often, too, these hours 
have to be spent fasting altogether from food, as in many 
places the priest has to "hear" his penitents before saying 
mass, and of course while he is fasting. With an unnaturally 
weakened body, there must be an unnaturally weakened mind. 
Where, then, is the wonder if there is a fall? 

AimiCULAIl CONFESSION AND PRIESTLY ABSOLUTION. 

In every Catholic church there may be seen one or more 
curtained recesses, looking in some places like sentry boxes. 
These are the confessional boxes, where the priest and peni- 
tent meet, the one seated, the other kneeling, a slight screen 
between their faces, the one to tell, the other to hear, a recital 
of all the secret thoughts, desires, words, and acts, foul or fair, 
vile or vicious, since last they met. This confession is called 
auricular, because made into the auris, or ear, of the priest. 
Such an institution is not seen in Protestant Churches, was 
never known in apostolic or primitive times. In fact. Pope 
Innocent HI. of Inquisition fame, is the founder. It is the 
most tremendous tribunal ever invented, compared to which 
pulpit, bench, rostrum, or throne as symbols of power are as 
nothing. The altar and confessional are the two thrones of 
power in the Romish system. The pulpit is of little or no use, 
unless to harangue against heresy and direct the political vote. 
The conscience, the heart, the life, the family, and politics are 
all brought under its dominion. Its sway is not only over two 
hundred million of the faithful Catholics, but the privacies of 
thousands of Protestant families are laid bare to the priest by 
faithful Bridget, if necessary, and devoted Patrick or Mike, 



376 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

who may have seats as aldermen in city councils or caucus 
gatherings. 

The system runs through all the priesthood, and the hier- 
archy as well as the laity. Its ramifications run through all 
societies and fraternities in the Church. The priest confesses 
to the bishop, and the bishop to the priest. Even Popes and 
cardinals have their confessors. The confessor in titled or 
royal CathoUc famiHes has peculiar privileges. It has been 
said, there is nothing worth knowing as afifecting the Church 
in families, societies, nations that is not sent to the great cen- 
tral bureau of the confessional at Rome. The late AntonelH 
knew more of the men and movements of the world than all 
other men. Of course, all other matters are kept inviolate by 
the oath of the priest, who is not allowed to divulge the secrets 
of the confessional. In times of political strife and persecution 
the confessional as an ally of the Inquisition has been used as 
an engine of almost Satanic power, so that men felt safe no- 
where — not in their own families, for the wife, the daughter, 
or the mother were taught by the system that they owed a 
higher duty to the confessor than to the husband, son, or 
brother. In the Revolution of 1848, in Rome, on the return of 
the Pope, and throughout Italy and France, women confessed 
on their own husbands and male relatives to the priest, who 
would not absolve them unless they did. Hence, thousands of 
leading Romans and Italians were seized and thrown into the 
dungeons, some sent to the galleys, and others executed as 
criminals, while many perished in prisons through inhuman 
treatment. 

The immoral character of the confessional is proverbial. It 
forms a dark and terrible history. How the tender friendship 
of confiding friend and the apostolic advice of Apostolic James, 
''Confess your faults, one to another," could be perverted into 
such a system of priestcraft, it is hard to say. One or two facts 
will indicate the character of the confessional. 

I. The pure and holy purposes and plans, the recital of holy 
deeds done and words said, with the wishes and desires of a 
renewed soul, are necessarily shut out from the confessional 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. ^Hl 

as having no place there, for it was instituted for another pur- 
pose, not for this. 

2. The object of the confessional is the confession of wicked 
thoughts, unholy desires, and criminal acts to a priest for the 
purpose of forgiveness. As this recital is entered into and told 
in all the disgusting details and circumstances, it must rekindle 
in the hearts of speaker and hearer the fires of unholy passion, 
of brutal lust, and suggestive temptation. 

3. Into the ears and heart of a young parish priest is poured 
all the moral filth of the community, so that his memory and 
his heart must be like the whited sepulchre, without fair, but 
within full of all uncleanness. As the confessor meets the con- 
fessed, male or female, in the public places of the city, it is no 
wonder that the one turns aside and the other veils her face, 
for he carries in his breast their guilty history. 

The effect of this upon the penitent must be most degrad- 
ing. Hence the servile subjection of the masses everywhere 
to the priesthood. The questions laid down in Dens' Theol- 
ogy for the priest to put to the penitent in the confessional 
are so revolting as to be fit only for the house of prostitution. 
The excuse the Church makes for such obscene teaching is 
that the priesthood, like physicians, need to know the nature 
of this moral leprosy in order to heal it; while the Bible teaches 
there is but one healer, whose touch of purity and power re- 
moves the sin in a moment, who has said, ''Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
The latter is the Protestant remedy, and the only effective 
cure. Hence the difference between the Catholic and the 
Protestant in mien and manner — the one looks down, degrad- 
ed and dejected; the other looks up, manly and independent, 
as the freeman of the Lord. This is not only characteristic of 
persons, but of the peoples and nations, upon whose faces 
their religions are stamped. 

While we thus describe the system, we believe there are ex- 
ceptions to it, so that there may be found among the priest- 
hood and the people some that are pure in heart and devoted 
in life, "for in every nation he that feareth God and worketh 
righteousness is accepted of him." While the confessional is 



378 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

degrading to man, it is dishonoring to God and to Christ. It 
represents him far away, while the Scriptures teach he is near 
to every one of us, in whom we Hve and move and have our 
being, who, as the Father of the spirits of all flesh, is ever 
ready to help his needy creatures ; who, although he hears cre- 
ation's hymn of praise, the song of cherubim, and the shout of 
adoring angels and rejoicing saints, his ears are ever open to 
the faintest sigh or sob of the broken heart that cries to him 
for aid. Instead of going to a fellow-man, to tell him our 
troubles and our sins, we are invited to come to him who is 
the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 
who is touched with a feeling of our infirmities, and knows 
how to succor those who are tempted. Instead of going to 
the confessional box (where patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and 
martyrs never went,) we all may come boldly to the throne of 
grace, and have access to the mercy-seat and the majesty of 
heaven. 

POWER or THE CONFESSIONAL. 

A writer in the Church of England Quarterly says: 'Xet 
any one consider this subject well. What woman mustnquail 
before the eye of him who has wrung out of her soul secrets 
with which no man on earth besides is cognizant? who has tor- 
tured her spirit to agony till it has forced from her lips, the 
very recollection of which withers her heart and burns her 
cheek with a blush of shame? And what woman who thus 
quails before the eye of the confessor, but must of necessity 
be already fitted as an instrument for all that he desires to ef- 
fect in the way of influence with a husband, a brother or son? 
Rome insists upon unquestioning obedience from her children, 
and she well knows that the first step to it is the loss of self- 
respect on their part. There is that in every man's heart 
which he holds in sacred confidence between himself and God 
— something in the sad experience of every man's individual 
frailty which can only rightly be told to God, and be told in 
secret mournings of the spirit, which he alone in his mercy can 
understand and pity. The moment that another steps in and 
possesses himself of the secret, the blessed nature of that holy 
confidence between the soul and God is broken in upon, and 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 379 

he who usurps the place of God becomes the master of the 
poor penitent. Body, soul and spirit are thenceforth delivered 
to his will, and are made the instruments by which he works 
his purpose." 

HOW A TELEPHONE GAVE AWAY SECRETS OE THE CONFES- 
SIONAL. 

Here is a suggestion to priests who are tired of the purga- 
tory fraud for raising money, and wish to try another form of 
blackmail. Let them put into the confessional a phonograph, 
and they will thus have their "holy children" at their mercy for 
all time. 

We find the following item going the rounds of the press : — 
A joiner recently being ordered to execute some repairs in 
a confessional which stood in the Church of St. Roche, 
France, took the opportunity to insert in the wood- 
work a microphone, which he connected by means of 
a couple of wires with a telephone receiver placed in 
an out-of-the-way corner of the church, where the man con- 
cealed himself when people went to confession. In this way 
he overheard a good many secrets, which he turned to account 
by extorting hush money from the poor penitents. The priest 
was at first suspected of having betrayed the secrets of the 
confessional, but after a while the truth came out and the cul- 
prit was apprehended and was sent to jail. 

THE DIEEERENCE BETWEEN THE BALLOT BOX AND THE CON- 
FESSIONAL BOX. 

The American ballot box is the ark of liberty. The Romish 
confessional box is the prison house of freedom. The ballot 
box stands for intelligence. The confessional box for dense 
ignorance. The ballot box stands for civic virtue. The con- 
fessional box for moral pollution. The ballot box represents 
elevated humanity. The confessional box is the degrader of 
humanity. The ballot box is the symbol of personal right ; the 
confessional box, of priestly power. The ballot box stands 
for individual opinion; the confessional box for the opinion of 
the priest. The ballot box is the voice of the people ; the con- 



38o THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

fessional, the voice of the Church. The ballot box demands 
the education of the masses. The confessional box requires 
their superstitious ignorance. The ballot box expresses the 
legislation of the people; the confessional box, the despotism 
of the Pope. The ballot box is the emblem of political wis- 
dom. The confessional box is the symbol of religious foolish- 
ness. The ballot box is the floodgate of civil liberty ; the con- 
fessional box is the slave market of Romanism. The ballot 
box is made to record the free man's desire. The confessional 
box is made to rivet the chains of oppression upon the people. 
The ballot box is the register of an American citizen's will. 
The confessional box is the tomb where free will is buried. The 
ballot box is a remedy for political ills. The confessional box 
is the incubator of political traitors. The ballot box is a social 
dynamo. The confessional box is a social plague. The bal- 
lot box is a friend of the American citizen. The confessional 
box is the friend of false priesthood. The ballot box is the 
ladder of political fame. The confessional box is the stairway 
to the throne of papal despotism. The ballot box is where the 
loyal American citizen manufactures his patriotism. The con- 
fessional box is where Roman traitors plot treason. The bal- 
lot box is the stronghold of Republican principles. The con- 
fessional box is the fortress of ecclesiastical monarchy. The 
ballot box stands for pubHc freedom. The confessional box is 
the slaughter house of liberty. The ballot box is the founda- 
tion stone of public government. The confessional box is 
Rome's political machine to hoist her men into power. The 
ballot box stands for the sovereignty of the people. The con- 
fessional box stands for the sovereignty of the Pope. 

"THE HOLE IN THE WALL." 

A hole in the wall where an unseen eye 
The sanctities of our homes may spy; 
"Where a man of sin," in a robe of state, 
Buys and sells at a fearful rate — 
Buys the thoughts of a silly girl; 
Buys the fears of a dying churl; 
Selling his soul with the awful lie 
' ' Of the absolution theory. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 381 

Never yet has the Bible told 

Of a heaven to be purchased by pain or gold; 

Never yet has it bid us fall 

At the feet of a sinner and tell him all. 

'Tis but the pitiful lust of power, 

The love of filth and the hope of dower, 

With the caw of the devil that prompts the call 

To the young and the weak from the hole in the wall. 

Plots too foul for a poet's pen 
Have been bred and hatched in that fearful den; 
Noj* will I mention the maiden's shame 
(God knows it) when the confessor came. 
Fathers and mothers, don't you care? 
Follow your girl and hear her there; 
See the tenderness — soul to soul. 
Sin to sin — in that fearful hole. 

Every care of her life is shown; 

Every secret of yours is known; 

And home and father are left in the lurch 

When he beckons her into the holy church. 

Don't you remember the olden time 

When priests and faggots were in their prime. 

How easy it was to lay their hand 

On one of the Bible-reading band? 

There was ever an ear aslant the eye; 

There was ever a low lip lisping by; 

And child and mother alike confessed 

That which brought ruin upon the rest. 

And over the country far and wide 

Comes creeping backwards the hateful tide, 

A vestry here and a curtain there. 

Or a small recess for the shrinking pair. 

One and another — never more! 

One at the window, one on the floor; 

Giving out and taking in 

Shame and misery — sin, sin, sin! 

I would not bare to the common eye 
The questions which a priest may ply, — 
Must, if he follows the written laws 
Of anti-Christ's voluptuous cause. 



382 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

But here is the pivot which turns so well 
His simpering guests to the depths of hell : 
"I am a priest; I cannot sin; 
And I will pardon, if I take you in." 

—An Old Chaplain of the G. A. R. 

THE CONFESSIONAL. 

It is a lie — their Priests, their Pope, 
Their Saints, their. ..all they fear or hope 
Are lies, and lies — there ! through my door 
And ceiling, there ! and walls and floor, 
There, lies, they lie, — shall still be hurled 
Till spite of them I reach the world! 

You think Priests just and holy men! 
Before they put me in this den 
I was a human creature, too. 
With flesh and blood like one of you, 
A girl that laughed in beauty's pride 
Like lillies in your world outside. 

I had a lover — shame avaunt! 

This poor, wrenched body, grim and gaunt, 

Was kissed all over till it burned, 

By lips the truest love e'er turned 

His heart's own tint : one night they kissed 

My soul out in a burning mist. 

So, next day when the accustomed train 
Of things grew around my sense again, 
"That is a sin," I said; and slow 
With downcast eyes to church I go, 
And pass to the confession-chair, 
And tell the old mild father there. 

But when I falter Beltran's name, 
"Ha!" quoth the father, "much I blame 
The sin; yet wherefore idly grieve? 
Despair not — strenuously retrieve ! 
Nay, I will turn this love of thine 
To lawful love, almost divine; 

"For he is young, and led astray,- 
This Beltran, and he schemes, men say. 
To change the laws of church and state ; 
So, thine shall be an angel's fate. 
Who, ere the thunder breaks, should roll 
Its cloud away and save his soul. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 383 

"For, when he lies upon thy breast, 
Thou mayst demand and be possessed 
Of all his plans, and next day steal 
To me, and all those plans reveal, 
That I and every priest, to purge 
His soul, may fast, and use the scourge." 

That father's beard was long and white, 
With love and truth his brow seemed bright; 
I went back, all on fire with joy. 
And, that same evening bade the boy 
Tell me as lovers should, heart-free. 
Something to prove his love of me. 

He told me what he would not tell 
For hope of heaven or fear of hell ; 
And I lay listening in such pride ! 
And, soon as he had left my side, 
Tripped to the church by morning light 
To save his soul in his despite. 

I told the father all his schemes. 
Who were his comrades, what their dreams ; 
"And now make haste," I said, "to pray 
The one spot from his soul away; 
To-night he comes, but not the same 
Will look !" At night he never came. 

Nor next night; on the after-morn, 
I went forth with a strength new-born. 
The church was empty; something drew 
My steps into the street ; I knew 
It led me to the market-place : 
Where lo, on high, the father's face ! 

That horrible black scaffold dressed. 
That stapled block. ..God sink the rest! 
That head strapped back, that blinding vest, 
Those knotted hands and naked breast. 
Till near one busy hangman pressed. 
And, on the neck these arms caressed. . . . 

No part in aught they hope or fear ! 

No heaven with them, no hell ! — and here, ' 

No earth, not so much space as pens 

No body in their worst of dens, 

But shall hear God and man my cry, . . 

Lies — lies, again — and still, they lie ! — Robert Browning. 



IX. 

ROME'S OPPOSITION TO AMEHI 
CAN SECRET SOCIETIES. 



THE OPPOSITION OF ROME TO PATRIOTIC SECRET SOCIETIES. 

The Roman Catholic Church is the r;ost powerful secret 
society in the world. She administers to her cardinals, bis- 
hops, priests and people the most terrible oaths. But in this, 
as in all other things, she proposes to remain mistress of the 
world, so she opposes all other secret societies. Her main 
opposition is manifested against the Free Masons, Odd Fel- 
lows, Knights of Pythias, and Sons of Temperance. 

MASONRY AND JESUITRY. 

Centuries of priest-rule in Cuba had held that beautiful and 
fertile island practically undeveloped, and its naturally bright 
and intelligent population, rendered hopeless of material com- 
fort and progress, was rapidly sinking into mental and spiritual 
apathy and death. 

Under these formidable and almost hopeless conditions, 
working in secret under bane of the Church — which ever seeks 
to destroy whatever fails to minister to its material advance- 
ment — were patriotic Masons, who, true to their Masonic 
heritage, held its dim light in this dark place, planning and 
arousing a hopeless people to battle for their spiritual liberty. 
To Cuban Masons Cuba owes her freedom. 

The inner history of the insurrection against priest-rule in 
the Philippines is practically the same as that of Cuba. 

French Masons, aroused by the Jesuitically-incited crime 
against Dreyfus, are responding to the call, and are aiding 
France to safeguard herself, and write the fatal wrong com- 
mitted by her Jesuitical army staff. 

In Sweden Masonry stands, and to an extent in Germany, as 
a block to Jesuit aggressions. 



HIS SECRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 385 

Since the killing blow to Jesuit rule in Spain, her long-wait- 
ing, patient but powerful Masons are infusing a new life into 
her awaking northern provinces, in an effort to arouse and 
rescue the Spanish people. 

Many of the South American States have Masons at the 
helm, and they should have grown too wise from past experi- 
ence to ever again trust their old false pilots on the com- 
mander's bridge. 

''O God, my God! arouse the widow's sons" to intelligent, 
concentrated action against the forces of evil now epitomized 
in Jesuitry, the ancient foe of Masonry, and the common 
enemy of the best in humanity. 

THE JESUITS GETTING THEIR DESERTS. 

There is an instinctive feeling in the breast of every honest 
person against deceit, trickery and double-dealing. No body 
of men, no society or organization in civilized countries has 
excited so much animosity and aroused such feelings of an- 
tagonism as the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, as they are 
generally called. The reason is plain to all who know what 
that society is. In Jesuitism is personified all that is evil in 
contrast with what is good in Christianity. It is not evil in it- 
self, like murder, lust, robbery, and other crimes that are con- 
demned by the decalogue and are amenable to civil laws. It 
is the evil that has been derived from the perversion of the 
good. The Jesuits have adopted the holy name of Jesus as 
their title for the purpose of deceiving mankind, and they use 
the Christian religion as a cloak for their wicked designs. To 
subjugate mankind to spiritual and mental slavery is their ob- 
ject, and the means they use to accomplish their purpose are 
Hmited only by their capacity. In all their work it is literally 
true that the end justifies the means. 

ATTENDANCE AT A ROMISH SECRET SOCIETY'S BALL. 

Priest Mulligan, of Camden, N. J., attacks the A. O. H. for 
announcing their annual ball. He said : "1 know who will be 
there. The ladies are invited, but the dirty, drunken woman 
that rushes the growler will, I am sure, be there ; the bummer 



386 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

will be there, and a few fools who are led by the men at the 
head of this affair will be there. Yes, the devil and his imps 
will also be there. Are you going to participate? He who 
buys a ticket, even though he doesn't use it, participates; he 
who sells a ticket doubly participates, and even the respectable 
CathoUcs will suffer by the scandal." 

THE POPE'S SECRET SOCIETIES. 

As is well-known, popery anathematizes all secret societies 
except those which she controls through chaplains, such as the 
Clan-na-Gael, Knights of Columbus, and others of that stamp. 
Of course it is generally known that the Jesuits are a secret 
society, and they are not only allowed by the Pope, but are 
said to rule him with a rod of iron. 

BANISHMENT AND IMPRISONMENT OF A PATRIOTIC SECRET 

SOCIETY MAN. 

We have an account of M. Tournan, who was a Mason. In 
1757 he was before* the Inquisition in Madrid on the charge of 
being a Free Mason, and the following is a part of his examin- 
ation: ''Q. You are, then, a Free Mason? A. Yes. Q. How 
long have you been so? A. Twenty years. Q. Have you at- 
tended the assemblies of Free Masons? A. Yes; in Paris. Q. 
Have you attended them in Spain? A. No; I do not know 
that there are any lodges in Spain. Q. Are you a Christian, a 
Roman Catholic? A. Yes; I was baptized in the parish of St. 
Paul at Paris. O. How, as a Christian, dare you attend Ma- 
sonic assemblies, knowing them to be contrary to religion? A. 
I did not know that ; I never saw or heard there anything con- 
trary to religion. Q. The Free Masons are an anti-religious 
body? A. Their object is not to combat or deny the necessity 
or utility of any religion, but for the exercise of charity to- 
v/ards the unfortunate of any sect, particularly if he is a mem- 
ber of the society. Q. What passes in these lodges which it 
might be inconvenient to publish ? A. Nothing, if it is viewed 
without prejudice. Q. Is it true that the festival of St. John is 
celebrated in the lodges, and, if so, what worship is given in 
such celebration? A. His festival is celebrated by a repast, af- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 387 

ter which there is a discourse exhorting the brethren to 
beneficence to their fellow creatures in honor of God." There 
is no worship given to St. John. Q. Is it true that the sun, 
moon, and stars are honored in the lodges? A. No." (Lor- 
ente's Hist. Inquisition, p. 191.) 

Although he confessed "his great wrong," he was heavily 
fined, imprisoned a year and then banished from Spain. 

The Mission-Book, which is very popular among Catholics 
in this country, under the examination preparatory to the con- 
fessional, under the ten commandments, asks : "Have you ex- 
posed your faith to danger by evil associations? Have you 
united yourself to the Free Masons, or Odd Fellows, or any 
similar society forbidden by the Church?" (Mission-Book, p. 
412.) . 

THE POPE CONDEMNS THE KNIGHTS OP PYTHIAS. 

More recently the Knights of Pythias have been con- 
demned. We subscribe a letter from the Archbishop of Bos- 
ton: 

"Archbishop of Boston, December 26, 1894. 

"Rev. Dear Sir : — We learn by letters from Rome, forward- 
ed by his excellency, the apostolic delegate at Washington, 
that our holy father has forbidden all Catholics to join the so- 
cieties of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, or Sons of Tem- 
perance. As to those who have already joined any of these 
societies, they are to be admonished to withdraw from them, 
and if they refuse to do so they are to be denied the sacra- 
ments. Yours very sincerely, 

"JOHN J. WILLIAMS, 
"Archbishop of Boston." 

Since then an encyclical has been issued by Pope Leo XIII., 
confirming this letter and condemning the Knights of Pythias. 

THE POPE DECLARES FREEMASONS TO BE "INSTRUMENTS OF 

SATAN." 

Pope Leo's latest effusion deals very largely with Free- 
masonry. He does not once refer to the Jesuits or the Clan- 
na-Gaels, but drives at the organization which does not rever- 



388 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ence him. A condensed report of his encydical thus com- 
ments upon it: — 

The Masonic order is declared to be ''animated by the spirit 
of Satan, whose instruments they are," and the Pope says ''they 
are consumed, hke their inspirer, with a mortal and implacable 
hatred against Jesus Christ and his work, and they do their ut- 
most to overthrow or enchain it." 

In Italy, and especially in Rome, this war is said to be waged 
more than elsewhere. The various phases of this war are 
traced from their origin. The action of the State is said to be 
wholly directed "to cancel the imprint of religion and Chris- 
tianity from the nation; from the laws and from all that is 
ofBcial life every religious idea and inspiration is systematically 
banned, when it is not directly antagonized; the public mani- 
festations of Catholic faith and piety are either prohibited or 
under vain pretexts hampered in a thousand ways." 

As this system is adopted and put in practice wherever Free- 
masonry holds sway, and as this sect is widely spread, it fol- 
lows that the anti-Christian system is also largely appHed. 

In Italy the Pope declares the direction of public affairs in 
that which concerns religion is wholly conformable to the as- 
pirations of the sects. They find declared abettors and docile 
instruments in the public officials. 

Among the most recent blows at the Church the Pope re- 
calls the approval of the new penal code. He says that in this 
his enemies desired the adoption of articles against the clergy, 
which constitute for the clergy, as it were, an exceptional law 
which considers as criminal some acts which are the most 
sacred duties of the ministry. 

The Pope says that he is firmly resolved to omit nothing on 
his part which may avail to maintain the faith alive and vigor- 
ous in the midst of the Italian people, and to protect it against 
the assaults of enemies. 

A DYING ODD FELLOW AND A PRIEST. 

A Western paper says : — 

"The I. O. O. F. and the Roman Catholic Church are not 
such bosom friends as some people would have us believe. A 



1 HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 389 

brother of a lodge in Mansfield, 111., who died recently, was 
visited by a priest who refused him the last rites of the Church 
Unless he renounced the order. This the brother refused to do 
and ordered the priest out of the house. He died as he had 
lived — an Odd Fellow, and was buried by his lodge at Mt. 
Greenwood cemetery." 

INHUMAN TORTURES OF A MAN WHO REFUSED TO DIVULGE 
THE SECRETS OF FREEMASONRY. 

John Coustos was imprisoned, in 1743, for the crime of 
Freemasonry; he was a Protestant. He was thrice examined 
before the inquisitors, and made to swear he would not divulge 
the secrets of the holy office. He was required to divulge the 
secrets of Freemasonry, which he refused, on account of his 
oath; but the judges said they would absolve him from all such 
oaths. He was doomed to the torture for divulging the 
secrets of Freemasonry. He was laid on his back on a scaf- 
fold, his neck fastened to it by means of an iron collar; two 
rings were attached to his feet, and his limbs stretched with 
all their strength. They then wound two ropes under each 
arm and leg, and made them pass under through the holes 
made for the purpose. On a signal given, they were all drawn 
tight and cut through the flesh to the bone, making the blood 
gush. Coustos still refusing to divulge more than he had 
done, this torture was four times repeated ; the surgeon being 
present, time was allowed for him to recover himself between 
the inflictions. While undergoing this, he was told by the 
judges it was from his obstinacy, and if he died he would be 
guilty of self-murder ! Six weeks after he was again taken 
from his dungeon and tortured. His arms were stretched un- 
til the palms of his hands were turned outward ; his wrists were 
fastened by a cord behind him, and a machine gradually drew 
the back of them until they touched. When over, he was 
taken to his dungeon, and the bones were set by a surgeon, un- 
der agonizing pain. Two months afterwards he was again 
brought out, and his executioners passed a thick iron chain 
twice around his body, which crossed his stomach and termin- 
ated in rings attached to bis wrists. Up w9,s then placed 




The Inhuman Tortures of John Coustos for Refusing to Divulge 

Lodge Secrets. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 391 

against a thick partition ; at each end was a pulley ; ropes were 
run through these and attached to the rings on his wrists. As 
the ropes were gradually made tighter, the chains bruised his 
stomach, and the shoulders and wrists were put out of joint. 
They were re-set by the surgeon, and the same torture was in- 
flicted with a similar result. He was then conveyed to his 
prison to await the auto de fe, and sentenced as a galley slave 
for four years. In four days he was set to work, but became 
sick and was sent to the infirmary. He was now visited by 
Irish friars, atid his release offered if he would forsake the 
Protestant and adopt the Roman Catholic religion, which he 
indignantly refused. By means of the British minister at Lis- 
bon, he was demanded as a British subject, and the inquisitor 
commiUted his sentence to banishment. He was ordered not 
to leave for England without giving the holy office informa- 
tion of the vessel in which he sailed ; but he ventured to go 
without doing so, and for three weeks he was obliged to lie 
concealed in the ship at Lisbon before sailing. Coustos ar- 
rived in England in December, 1744, and published his narra- 
tive a year or so after that period. 

The first bull against Freemasonry w^as issued by the Pope 
in 1738. Clement XII. excommunicated all Freemasons. 
Philip, in 1740, pubHshed a royal ordinance against them. In 
1739, the punishment of death was decreed against them by 
the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, in the name of the high priest of 
the God of peace and mercy ! 

FOUR YEARS A PRISONER EOR REFUSING TO DISCLOSE LODGE 

SECRETS. 

Mendonca was imprisoned in Lisbon in 1820, for the crime 
of Freemasonry; the most prominent questions to him wxre 
the amount of treasure belonging to the order, and where it 
was deposited. He was four years a prisoner for not being 
able or willing to disclose it. 

KNIGHTS OF MALTA TAKE A BOLD STAND AGAINST ROMANISM. 

At the tenth annual convocation of the Knights of Malta, 
the Supreme Commander said in his address to the Com- 
mandery: — 



392 THU DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

Now, when the institutions of our country are threatened 
with danger, it is time we should remember the obhgations we 
have taken. The enemy with which we have to contend, is a 
crafty and insidious foe, one that is working silently yet surely 
to get the balance of power in America. They will strive first 
to abolish the public schools ; they will endeavor to remove the 
Holy Bible from the pubUc schools. It is their wish to estab- 
lish upon the free soil of America, a religion that demands of 
its followers a slavish obedience to the will of a Pope. A re- 
ligion that had its origin in ignorance and superstition, and 
that is directly opposed to the Republican form of govern- 
ment given to us by our forefathers. 

Remember your duty as Knights of Malta, of a Protestant 
Order; instruct your children in the principles of our Society; 
familiarize yourselves with its history, and in every act of your 
lives keep steadily in view its interests. Bear in mind that we 
are the instruments in the hands of God to accomplish pur- 
poses of His own. What those purposes are the future will un- 
fold every hour. 

THE BOMISH VIEW OF AMERICAN SECRET SOCIETIES. 

Masonic associations are not more than one hundred and 
fifty or two hundred years old, since their foundation by some 
tippling Englishmen in a cabaret of Paris. (Judges of Faith, 
part I, p. 4.) 

We are too free and contented ... to fear yet awhile 
that secret societyism will find suj:h fools or such knaves for 
tools as the devilish organizations of Europe and South 
America. At least, it is the hour to sound the alarm and be 
alert. Masonic mummeries are becoming the ritual for state 
and national dedications of buildings and monuments. What 
wonder that the lodges foster State secular schools. (Ibid, pp. 
5,6.) 

HOW ROMAN CATHOLICS BOYCOTTEID A SECRET SOCIETY'S 

FAIR. 

Rome seems to be making a concerted attack on Free- 

m^SQnry ^U ov^r th^ WQrl4' A telegram from Rome s^ys j-^ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 393 

Rome, Aug. 5. — The Pope has addressed an encydical letter 
to the bishops throughout Italy in which his holiness declares 
that the actions of the Freemasons of Italy are subversive of 
religion. 

The Roman Catholic archbishop of Dublin recently boy- 
cotted a fair being held by the Freemasons of that city for the 
benefit of an orphan asylum. As a result of the boycott the 
fair netted $150,000! Irish boycotts are blessings in disguise. 

THE POPE CLASSES PREEMASONS AND JEWS WITH AN- 
ARCHISTS. 

The press generally expresses great surprise over Pope 
Leo's latest utterance, in which he classes Freemasons and 
Jews with Anarchists. Those who are intelligent in matters 
of the past, are aware that popery — or Jesuitism — was back of 
the bitter persecution of Dreyfus, the Jew, and it is generally 
understood in Europe that the anti-Semitic crusade is engi- 
neered by Jesuits. In this country many of the Jews affiliate in 
poHtics with Irish papists, and — contrary to their vows — many 
Freemasons work in harmony with popery and against patri- 
otic principles. This is due to ignorance, for the intelligent 
and well-read Freemason can always be found on the right 
side. V 

HOW ROMAN CATHOLIC NUNS DISPOSED OP THE DEAD BODl: 

OF A G. A. R. MAN. 

Let us enter a certain hospital in Washington. Nuns have 
charge. The patients, be they Protestants or Roman Catho- 
lic, are expected to attend service in accordance with the forms 
of Rome. Proselyting is a business, and when this is impos- 
sible, the patient suffers. 

Capt. Amos Cliff was in the Pension Bureau. He was sick. 
He carried to the hospital a watch and money, and after pay- 
ing his board for a week, died. All his effects disappeared, as 
is the custom. The Grand Army Relief Committee, at the 
head of which is Capt. Frank A. Beuter, having learned of his 
death, went with Capt. D. A. Denison to inquire for him. No 
intelligence was furnished. He was a dead soldier. They 




Koman Catholic Nuns Attempt to Force a Grand Army Man to 

Accept Their Religion, His Body is Afterwards 

Sold to the Dissectino' Surg-eons. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 395 

knew where to look for his remains. His body was found in 
the Medical College, being cut up by the surgeons. The 
Grand Army boys took the mutilated remnants of a brave sol- 
dier, and, purchasing a coffin, sent what was left of an honored 
father to his friends. They who are so particular about giving 
a Roman Catholic burial, surrendered the body of a Grand 
Army soldier to the surgeon, not caring what was done with it 
or where it went, to a pauper's grave or a surgeon's table. 

FOOD REFUSED TO A STARVING SECRET SOCIETY MAW. 

That Freemason of national reputation — Col. Edwin A. 
Sherman, of Oakland, Cal., (the custodian of the key to Pres. 
Lincoln's tomb), thus writes to the Tyler : — 

''I have a word or two of timely caution to send you for our 
traveHng brethren, either tourists or commercial travelers. 

''It seems that a general decree has gone out from the papal 
hierarchy throughout Spanish America, and is especially en- 
forced in the Central American States, for the people not to 
sell or give food, lodging or other accommodation, no matter 
how urgent and pressing the need, to any one wearing a so- 
ciety emblem or jewel of any kind, and more especially a Ma- 
sonic one. 

"A member of Oakland Commandery, No. 11, of Knights 
Templars, has recently returned from Central America, and he 
relates the difficulties which he encountered when traveling 
through that country. He had been riding on horse back all 
day over a rugged road without meeting with any accommoda- 
tion anywhere on the way, and at evening rode up to a small 
hamlet to remain over night. He went to a house to see if he 
could obtain information, as there was no public place for en- 
tertainment. A woman came to the door, and he asked for 
some food, which he was willing to pay for, and she replied 
that while she had food, that she could not sell or give it to 
him, as she was forbidden to do so by the priest. He thought 
it strange, as he had never seen the priest and knew nothing 
about him, while he wondered how the priest could know any- 
thing about him, he being a total stranger in the country. He 
urged his famished condition, and that he must have food in 



396 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

some shape or he would starve. But she was inexorable, and 
said that she was ordered not to give food to a heretic, and 
more especially to one who was a Mason, as she supposed him 
to be from the jewel he was wearing, which was the ordinary 
Knights Templar cross. She was deaf to all his implorations 
for food, offering to pay her any price for it. At last, after a 
very long parleying, she told him to put that jewel out of sight 
and go over to the hut of an Indian, which she pointed out at 
a distance, and perhaps he might get something there. So he 
rode to the Indian's hut and obtained a meagre supply for his 
immediate necessities, and then rode on; but during the re- 
mainder of his sojourning in that country he was careful to 
keep his Masonic emblems out of sight, otherwise he was not 
only in danger of starving to death, but of being put out of the 
way in some other manner. 

''The papacy is putting on the screws wherever it can do so, 
and is tightening up things all around, even to preventing 
commercial relations between countries where it can do so by 
denying the rights of nature and hospitality to travelers who 
are suspected of belonging to any secret society, and more 
especially of Masons. Therefore, for their own comfort and 
security when starting to travel in such countries where the 
rule of the priest, either openly or secretly, prevails, let our 
brethren keep their jewels and emblems out of sight. 

"EDWIN A. SHERMAN. 

"Oakland, Cab, March 3, '93." 

HOBRIBLE TREATMENT OF A MASON'S WIDOW BY A PRIEST. 

In another letter Col. Sherman writes: — 

"I will give a statement of fact as related by a brother and 
Sir Knight, one of the most prominent merchants of San 
Francisco and of the Board of Trade and Chamber of Com- 
merce, of which he was an eye witness, but powerless to act, 
which he related at a banquet of the Knights Templars recent- 
ly in that city. 

"A few years since he was in one of the republics of Central 
America. While there, in one of the towns, a native, sup- 
posed to be a Mason, when on his death-bed, would not send 




Nuns Begging- Money from Business and Professional Men 
and Private American Citizens for the Sup- 
port of the Eomish Eeligion. 



v» 



398 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

for the priest, nor pay for absolution, nor masses to be said 
for the repose of his soul, died; and his wife had him buried 
outside of consecrated grounds. She in turn, was taken sick, 
and would not send for the priest, and died also. The priest 
himself then went with a yoke of oxen to the house and 
hitched on to the body by the neck and dragged it through the 
streets of the town, followed by the little children, the daugh- 
ters of the dead mother, who were crying piteously, and he 
dragged the body to the outskirts of the town and left it to be 
devoured by swine and the dogs. This our brother witnessed 
himself, and the expression of horror that went around that 
banquet-table cannot be described." 

PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES, BEWARE OF SNAKES! 

Corrupt fellows creep into all patriotic societies, but reveal 
their true characters in times of political activity, usually by 
attempting to line their pockets with money from political 
leaders for promised votes. They make the party bosses be- 
lieve they have big influence, can control voters, arouse en- 
thusiasm, etc., all the time knowing that their influence is nil 
and that they are getting money under false pretenses. 

A Chicago paper says : — 

Only $ioo for the votes of the members of four great Amer- 
ican orders in an important South Side ward ! 

This was the modest figure at which a small-bore boodler, 
who has recently insinuated himself into the membership of 
certain secret societies, appraised the suffrages of his brethren 
while endeavoring the other day to negotiate a deal with a Re- 
publican candidate for an important county office. 

The orders, whose collective vote he undertook to deliver, 
were the Patriotic Order Sons of America, the Junior Order of 
United American Mechanics, the American Protective Associa- 
tion and the Loyal Orange Institution. 

The astounding figure at which so many hundred votes 
could be bought at once awoke the interest and suspicion of 
the candidate. He had never imagined that the American 
party could be purchased at such an infinitesimal cost. He 
was loath, in fact, to believe that the votes of patriotic Ameri- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 399 

cans could be had for vastly less than the ''chicken-feed" that 
catches the lodging-house bummers of the Levee and West 
Side slums, and with a remark that the proposition was a very 
moderate one, encouraged the ''toucher" to unfold his plan. 

The writer then went on to show that the fellow was an im- 
postor who through fraud had got into a patriotic society and 
was selling his organization to the highest bidder. 

There is the same danger in other places. Beware of sly, 
suave knaves who are in the employ of party bosses. They 
will trade on their connection with some good order, and ruin 
the reputation of the order, for the lowest possible ends. 

Members of patriotic orders stand as individuals, and will 
vote as individuals, not as a body. They will vote for the best 
American, irrespective of party. 

PATRIOTIC DISCOURSE TO THE MEMBERS OF THE JUNIOR 
ORDER UNITED AMERICAN MECHANICS. 

Rev. M. L. Dietzler, a Lutheran minister of Harrisburg, 
Pa., preached a sermon to the Jr. O. U. A. M. of that city, of 
which order he is a member, that contains many instructive 
thoughts, among which we find the following : 

"Let me ask, can there possibly be such a being as an Ameri- 
can freeman without education — an education including the 
Bible? Never. American liberty makes popular education 
with the Bible in the public schools a necessity, an essential 
part of our government. Hence it was that William Penn's 
great admonition to his new colony was, 'educate the people.' 
Hence the constant cry of Jefferson was, 'educate the people.' 
Hence, among the last words of Washington were, 'educate 
the people.' And it is plainly seen that he who does not want 
the Bible in the public schools weakens the authority of God 
in the mind of the child. He who does not want the Bible in 
the public schools will not want the American public school it- 
self, but w^ants an ignorant people. He is not a true American 
and does not appreciate our blessings. Such ought never to 
come to America. If they happen to be here they ought not 
to stay. America must have an unfettered press, an open 
Bible, a free platform, an untrammeled conscience and a lib- 




Building at Winchester, Va., in Which President McKinley 
was Made a Mason During the W^ar, in 1865. 

Courtesy of The American Tyler. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 401 

eral education, then truth will triumph, American freedom 
prevail, and the blessings of Christ abound. Luther could not 
tell how much misery and immorality he saw among his coun- 
trymen, simply because every question he asked concerning 
Christian doctrine was answered by 'I do not know.' May 
God save America from the consequent misery when similar 
universal ignorance prevails concerning the doctrines of 
American liberty. The blessings enumerated by St. Paul im- 
ply, yea, call loudly, for education in general, and particularly 
Bible knowledge. Ignorance in America will endanger civil, 
religious and personal liberty. Liberal popular education with 
the Bible will make our countrymen intelligent, thrifty, indus- 
trious and moral. Unsectarian public schools will make us in- 
telligent and loyal American citizens. In Canada East, it is 
said, not more than one in ten can read, in Italy not one in 
fifty. In Spain, out of a population of less than sixteen mil- 
lions, more than twelve millions can neither read nor write. 
In these and in other countries where like conditions exist, the 
masses are paupers, degraded, ignorant and vicious." 

IN ROME'S SECHECY LIES HER STRENGTH. 

The strength of Rome in America lies in her secrecy. In 
fact, the strength of all organizations, all men, all countries, 
and all things, lies in the one word secrecy. The strength of 
the mighty Samson of old was hidden, concealed, protected 
and lived in secrecy; but the moment that secret became 
known his power, his strength, was lost. 

THE GREAT VALUE OF AMERICAN SECRET SOCIETIES. 

That secrecy is a crime, is one of the most cruel things a 
man ever uttered. Were it not for our secret orders Rome 
would have been the master of the ''land of the free and the 
home of the brave" many years ago, and America would not 
be to-day a free country, and the American man, woman and 
child would be permitted to worship in but one church, and 
that Church the Roman Catholic Church. 

Q\\x lovers of liberty, flag and country, were compelled t9 



402 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

organize secret societies to save this country, to save our lib- 
erty and our flag. 

To say that secrecy is criminal does not only affect imper- 
fect human beings but also accuses Christ of attempted crime 
or fraud. In the 29th and 30th verses of the eighth chapter of 
Mark, Christ, we find, charged his chosen ones not to tell any- 
one of him. That was evidently a secret society there, since 
they were to keep secret the fact of his being the Christ. 

Again, we find in the transfiguration of Christ another meet- 
ing of that secret society of saints, and it must strike every 
one who reads that chapter, with wonderful force, that there 
was, indeed, a secret, oath-bound society, existing during 
those days of Christ, between Him and His chosen twelve. 
There is the most clear and positive evidence all through the 
New Testament to prove that there existed between Christ 
and his apostles a secret arrangement, a secret understanding, 
a secret society. 

If the thoughts, deeds and actions of the confessor in the 
confessional box were kept a secret and not whispered into the 
ears of those black-robed demons, many thousands of our 
most beautiful girls and women would not now be living in 
shame and disgrace. Who is so stupid as not to see this aw- 
ful fact? It is through lack of secrecy that such a condition 
exists in our land. 

Under and by our secret societies we still have our liberty, 
and it is a positive fact that, had it not been for the A. P. A. 
the Pope of Rome might be in America to-day instead of Italy; 
we would be slaves of Rome instead of freemen of America. 
And yet, here we find a jealous soul crying out against the 
very thing that saved him from slavery to Rome, that gives 
him his liberty to-day. 

These men who would banish secret societies would deal a 
death-blow to our liberty, would give this country over, un- 
conditionally, to Rome. Banish our patriotic orders from 
America, and see where this country will go ! Drive those 22,- 
000 Freemasons from France, and how quickly will Rome gain 
control of the French Empire. The idea of laying the blame 
and cause of anarchy at the door of the secret societies is cruel 
beyond reason. 




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404 T^HB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS CAN NEVER BE TRUE AMERICANS. 

The oaths of the priesthood, and of the CathoHc societies, 
will show that they are not true Americans. These oaths are 
given in full, for they are of the utmost importance : 

PRIEST'S OATH. 

"I , now in the presence of Almighty God, the 



blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed Michael the Archangel, the 
blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles St. Peter and 
St. Paul, and the Saints and Sacred Host of Heaven, and to 
you, my Lord, I do declare from my heart, without mental 
reservation that the Pope is Christ's Vicar General, and is the 
true and only head of the Universal Church throughout the- 
earth, and that, by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing 
given to his Holiness by Jesus Christ he has power to depose 
heretical Kings, Princes, States, Commonwealths and Gov- 
ernments, all being illegal without his sacred confirmation, 
and that they may be safely destroyed. Therefore, to the ut- 
most of my power, I will defend this doctrine and his Holiness* 
rights and customs against all usurpers of the Protestant au- 
thority whatsoever, especially against the now pretended au- 
thority and church in England and all adherents, in regard 
that they may be usurped and heretical, opposing the -Sacred 
Mother, the Church of Rome. 

''I do denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any 
Protestant King, Prince of State, or obedience to any of their 
inferior officers. I do further declare the doctrine of th0 
Church of England of the Calvinists, Huguenots and other 
Protestants, to be damnable, and those to be damned who will 
not forsake the same. 

*'I do further declare that I will help, assist and advise all or 
any of his Holiness' agents in any place wherever I shall be, 
and to do my utmost to extirpate the Protestant doctrine and 
to destroy all their pretended power, regal or otherwise. I do 
further promise and declare that notwithstanding I may be 
permitted by dispensation to assume any heretical religion 
(Protestant denominations) for the propagation of th^ l^other 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 405 

Church's interest, to keep secret and private all her agents* 
counsels as they entrust me, and not to divulge, directly or in- 
directly, by word, writing or circumstances whatsoever, but 
to execute all which shall be proposed, given in charge or dis- 
covered unto me by you, my most Reverend Lord and Bishop. 

"All of which I, , swear by the blessed Trinity and 

blessed Sacrament which I am about to perform on my part 
to keep inviolably, and do call on all the Heavenly and Glori- 
ous Hosts of Heaven to witness my real intentions to keep 
this my oath. 

''In testimony whereof, I take this most holy and blessed 
Sacrament of the Eucharist, and witness the same further with 
my consecrated hand, and in the presence of my holy bishop 
and all the priests who assist him in my ordination to the 
priesthood." 

OATH OF THE CLAN-NA-GAEL. 

The following is the oath taken by the members of that 
famous Romish Catholic Society: 

"I, -, do solemnly swear in the presence of Al- 
mighty God, that I will labor while Hfe is left in me to estab- 
lish and defend a republican form of government in Ireland; 
that I will keep secret the names and everything connected 
with this Irish brotherhood from all not entitled to know such 
secrets ; that I will obey and comply with the constitution and 
laws of the same, whatever they may be; that I will preserve 
the funds of the order for the cause of Irish revolution alone, 
as specified in the constitution; that I will deem it my special 
duty and mission to promote and foster sentiments of union, 
brotherly love, nationality, among all Irish Catholics; that I 
will not permit the nomination in any political caucus or con- 
vention of a person not pledged to the principles of this so- 
ciety; that I will always give a member of this brotherhood 
preference in all matters of business, and will vote and work 
only for Irishmen for poHtical ofhce; I take this obligation 
without any mental reservation, holding the same forever 
binding upon me, and that any violation thereof or desertion 

?6 



4o6 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

of my duty to the brotherhood is infamous, and merits the se- 
verest punishment, so help me God." 

This oath the candidate is abjured to keep at the hazard of 
his Hfe. It was reported to and printed in the Chicago Inter- 
Ocean, December i6, 1893, and was sworn to be correct at the 
Cronin trial. Priests and bishops act as chaplains for this holy 
order. 

OATH or A RIBBON MAN. 

^'I, Patrick McKenna, swear by Saints Peter and Paul, and 
by the blessed Virgin Mary, to be always faithful to the so- 
ciety of Ribbon Men, to keep and conceal all its secrets and 
all its words of order; to be always ready to execute the 
commands of my superior officers, and, as far as it shall be in 
my power, to extirpate all heretics, and all the Protestants 
and to walk in their blood to the knee. May the Virgin Mary 
and all the saints help me. To-day the second of July, 1852. 

'Tat McKenna, 
(from Tyndavanet)." 

(Cited in "Brooks' Controversy with Bishop Hughes," p. 

I5-) 

THE JESUITICAL OATH. 

I, , now in the presence of Almighty God, the blessed 

Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the holy apos- 
tles, St. Peter and St. Paul, and all the saints, sacred hosts of 
Heaven, and to you my Ghostly Father, the superior general 
of the society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius Loyola, in the 
pontification of Paul the Third, and continued to the present, 
do, by the womb of the Virgin, the matrix of God, and the rod 
of Jesus Christ, declare and swear that his holiness, the Pope, 
is Christ's vice-regent, and is the true and only head of the 
Catholic or universal Church throughout the earth; and that 
by virtue of the keys of binding and loosing given to his Holi- 
ness by my Savior, Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose 
heretical kings, princes, states, commonwealths and govern- 
ments, all being illegal without his sacred confirmation, and 
they may be safely destroyed. Therefore, to the utmost of 
my power, I will defend this doctrine and his Holiness' right 
and custom against all usurpers' of the heretical or Protestant 






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4o8 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

authority whatsoever, especially the Lutheran Church of Ger- 
many, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and the now 
pretended authority and Churches of England and Scotland, 
and the branches of the same now established in Ireland, and 
on the continent of America and elsewhere, and all adherents 
in regard that they be usurped and heretical, opposing the sa- 
cred mother church of Rome. 

I^do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to any 
heretical king, prince of state, named Protestant or liberals, 
or obedience to any of their laws, magistrates or ofBcers. 

I do further declare that the doctrine of the Churches of 
England and Scotland, of the Calvinists, Huguenots and others 
of the name of Protestants or Hberals, to be damnable, and 
they themselves to be damned who will not forsake the same. 

I do further declare that I will help, assist and advise all or 
any of his Holiness' agents, in any place where I shall be, in 
Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, 
England, Ireland or America, or in any other kingdom or ter- 
ritory I shall come to, and do my utmost to extirpate the her- 
etical Protestant or Uberal doctrines, and to destroy all their 
pretended powers, legal or otherwise. 

I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding I 
am dispensed with to assume an}^ religion heretical for the 
propagation of the mother church's interest, to keep secret 
and private all her agent's councils from time to time, as they 
entrust me, and not divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, 
writing or circumstances whatever, but to execute all that 
should be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me, 
by you my Ghostly Father, or any of this sacred convent. 

I do further promise and declare that I will have no opinion 
or will of my own or any mental reservation whatsoever, even 
as a corpse or cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesi- 
tatingly obey each and every command that I may receive 
from my superiors in the militia of the Pope and of Jesus 
Christ. 

That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I may 
be sent, to the frozen regions of the North, to the burning 
sands of the desert of Africa, or the jungles of India, to the 
centers of civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS BXPOSBD. 409 

barbarous savages of America, without murmuring or repin- 
ing, and will be si^bmissive in all things whatsoever is com- 
municated to me. 

I do further promise and declare that I will, when opportun- 
ity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly and 
openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Liberals, as I am 
directed to do, to extirpate them from the face of the whole 
earth ; and that I will spare neither age, sex, or condition, and 
that I will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle, and bury 
alive these infamous heretics ; rip up the stomachs and wombs 
of their women, and crush their infants' heads against the 
walls, in order to annihilate their execrable race. That when 
the same cannot be done openly, I will secretly use the poison- 
ous cup, the strangulating cord, the steel of the poniard, or the 
leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank, dignity or au- 
thority of the person or persons, whatever may be their condi- 
tion in Hfe, either public or private, as I at any time may be di- 
rected so to do, by any agent of the Pope, or Superior of the 
Brotherhood of the Holy Father of the Society of Jesus. 

In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, my soul, 
and all corporeal powers, and with the dagger which I now 
receive I will subscribe my name, written in my blood, in testi- 
mony thereof; and should I prove false or weaken in my de- 
termination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the mil- 
itia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat from 
ear to ear, my belly opened and sulphur burned therein with 
all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on earth and 
my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal hell forever. 

All of which I, , do swear by the Blessed Trinity and 

Blessed Sacrament which I am now to receive, to perform, and 
on my part to keep this, my oath. 

In testimony hereof, I take this most holy and blessed sa- 
crament of the eucharist, and witness the same further, with 
my name written with the point of this dagger, dipped in my 
own blood, and seal in the face of this holy sacrament. 

(He receives the wafer from the Superior and writes his 
name with the point of his dagger, dipped in his own blood, 
taken from, over the heart.) 



'SC«^v:^!«a2?W«?^B^ I 




TV ZS^ 



King- Edward VII. (As Prince of Wales), P. G. M., United 
Grand Lodge of England, Free and Accepted Masons. 

Courtesy of The American Tyler. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 411 

"If the above oath does not make the blood of every true 
American boil with righteous indignation, he or she is surely 
lacking all the elements of patriotism. The priest first swears 
his allegiance to Catholicism, and places behind him every 
thought of God and his country. Can a man or set of men 
worship a God that is full of love and pity and swear that he 
will persecute unto death all that does not coincide with his 
belief? Each priest swears eternal vengenace against Prot- 
estants wherever found ; and still weak-kneed Protestants will 
cast their vote for a Catholic who is bound by an oath sub- 
scribed in his own blood to destroy every vestige of Protest- 
antism. The Catholic reHgion disowns the right to be gov- 
erned by any power, only that which comes through the Pope, 
and was it not for the overwhelming majority that the Prot- 
estants have in America, our free and God-given institutions 
would be ruthlessly brushed aside by Romanism, and in their 
stead the idolatrous institutions of Catholicism would rear 
their brazen heads. 

"PROTESTANTS THE OFFSPRINGS OF THE DEVIL. '» 

The Catholic Church despises secret orders with all the 
venom that it is possible to bestow upon an object of hatred, 
and at the same time every fabric of the Catholic Church is 
bound together with a cord of secrecy. Our blood congeals 
when we think of the sect, who pretend to worship a living 
God, declaring that they will resort to every means known 
to the bloodthirsty, uncivilized tribes of the earth in order to 
exterminate the Protestant race. The Catholic World de- 
clares that the great and noble race, the Protestants, are all 
the illegitimate offsprings of the devil, as they aver that there 
is no power upon earth that can legitimately unite man and 
woman in holy matrimony outside of the power of the Cath- 
olic Church. They declare that your son and daughter who 
play at your hearthstone are bastards, and have eternal dam- 
nation written upon their brow, simply because their fathers 
and mothers were not united in wedlock by one'of their abom- 
inable officials. 



412 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

« 

A FATHEB'S INGKATITUDE TOWARD FREEMASONS. 

How does this strike yon for ini^ratitiulo : A youiii;' man was 
seriously wouiulod duriiii;- the Civil War between the States. 
In his delirinni as ho lay on the battlotioUl, the enemy in pos- 
session of it. he made a INIasonie sign. Some of the men of 
the enemy snpposing him to be a "Mason took him and had him 
earefnlly nnrsed nntil he was well. lie thonght strange of the 
eare that he had reeeived. and, havin.g spoken of it, was told 
that his INlasonry had saved his life. He made the remark that 
he was not a ]\lason, bnt that if he lived to ever have a ehanee 
he wonld beeome one snre. lie lived throngh the war, and at 
its close became a ^lason. Now the inexplainable follows: 
His father, who was a minister, took the tield and lectnred 
against the Order with all his might. Some things we can ex- 
plain, bnt this is a ease where we can only stop and wonder. 
Ingratitnde, thon enrse to men and angels. 

THE ORDER OF UNITED AMERICAN MECHANICS. 

ITS MOTTO: \ 

HONESTY, INDUSTRY AND SOBRIETY. 

Its aims are to assist each other in obtainhig employment, 
eneonrage each other in bnsiness, obtain for disabled members 
sitnations snitable to their atllietions. and eare for ihe sick. 
The order is not engaged in any political or religions work, — 
bnt on the contrary, it strictly debars any one from expression 
pertaining to politics or religion in the conncil chamber. Its 
sole object is that stated above, together with its social featnres, 
which are condncted on the lines of sobriety and pnrity. 

As an organization it has no attiliation whatever, with the 
so-called Trades Unions, and takes no part in controlling capi- 
tal and labor, for. in the ranks are to be fonnd eqnally, both. 

It admits no one to membership, except those born in this 
conntry, yet it does not proscribe the foreigner, bnt insists that 
he shonld coniirm to and obey onr laws, and not to establish 
or maintain the cnstoms of his own. where they contlict with 
those of this conntry. It leads in endeavoring to teach all the 
dnty of advancing the principles snpporting "the Constitution 




THOiMAS WILJUEY, 

The Founder of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows. 



414 I^HB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

of the United States, maintaining the dignity and standard of 
American institutions, and especially of our free public school 
system, and defending our country and flag against the en- 
croachments of all enemies of our glorious republic." 

THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE PATRIOTIC ORDER SONS OF 

AMERICA. 

The Patriotic Order Sons of America was first organized in 
Philadelphia, in 1847. It was instituted in many Eastern and 
Southern States, and flourished until the Civil War in 1861 
compelled suspension of its operations. This order has the 
distinction of being the only secret order which has ever held 
its meetings on the battlefield. This it did during the war, 
under special permission from President Lincoln. After the 
restoration of peace it was reorganized and is now firmly estab- 
lished in nearly every State and Territory of the United States, 
and its membership is increasing at a rapid rate. On the 
telligent, moral and judicious members, it has acquired an in- 
strength of its principles and the influx into its camps of in- 
fluence and assumed a position of power for good in this nation 
which hostility can neither afi^ect nor destroy. The member- 
ship embraces men of all refined and honorable trades, occupa- 
tions and professions, including many who occupy exalted posi- 
tions in our State, national and municipal governments. The 
clergy of all the leading Protestant denominations are well 
represented, and many of the legal and medical fraternities take 
an active interest in its affairs. 

WHAT IS PYTHIANISM. 

Pythianism is loyalty, and no man can become a Knight of 
Pythias without at least professing loyalty to the flag of his 
country. 

Pythianism is an American Order, and all who march in its 
ranks are pledged to uphold its honor and maintain its per- 
petuity. 

Pythianism is a moral Order, and all who are inscribed upon 
its roll of honor are pledged to uphold morality, temperance 
and law. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 415 

Pythianism cares for the sick, buries the dead, protects the 
widow and feeds and educates the orphan; it contains within 
it all that is loyal, moral, honorable, friendly, benevolent, charit- 
able, pure, and it fits its votaries for association with men or 
angels, for life or death, and truly followed, for eternity. — 
Lodge Secret. 

PATRIOTIC ORDERS— BE CAREFUL! 

A representative of a certain regalia manufacturing concern 
in Boston (the firm is probably Roman Catholic, although sup- 
posed to be Protestant), informed a Protestant lady a few days 
ago that his house had ''inside information" from all the patri- 
otic orders, and knew what their strength was, etc. 

Be careful, brethren ! Protestants deal too carelessly with all 
sorts of people. Our Romanist friends never trade with a 
Protestant if they can do the same business with one of their 
ow^n faith. 

A QUEER ODD FELLOWS' LODGE IN A CAVE. 

The Odd Fellows' lodge room at Gap Run, Tenn, is "a hole 
in the ground," a natural cave, and the lodge room is 39 feet 
5 inches by 54 feet 4 inches and 200 feet to the ceiling. Seats 
are arranged on the sides, and 300 people can be seated. In 
winter there is no need of fire, and in the summer the room is 
always cool and comfortable. — Ex. 

HOW A SECRET SOCIETY MAN'S WIFE FOUND OUT THE PASS- 
WORDS. 

The story is told of a mason's wife, 

Who plagued him almost out of his life i 

To learn the secret — whatever it be — 

The mystic words of masonry. 

Said he, "Now, Mary, if I should tell 

The awful words, I know very well 

When you get mad, my darling dear, 

You'll rip them out that all may hear." 

Said she, "O Edward! never! never! 

They'll rest in my heart's recess forever. 




The Seven Stars Inn, Baltimore, Md., the Birthplace of the Independent 

Order of Odd Fellows. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 417 

Tell me, Edward, and never more 
Shall I scold or fret or slam the door; 
And I'll try to be quiet with all my might. 
No matter what hour you come at night." 
No man, unless he were made of wood, 
Could resist an ofifer so fair and good; 
So he said, "Now, Mary, my woe or weal 
Depends on the words I'm about to reveal." 
"O Ned," she answered, "you may depend, 
I'll keep the secret till life shall end." 
Said he, "The secret that masonry screens — 
The awful words are — Pork and Beans!" 
Scarcely a week had passed away, 
iWhen Mary got mad, and what did she say? 
She shouted out that all may hear, 
"Pork and beans! I've got you there!" 



X. 

THE EVIL INFLUENCE OF ROMAN 

CATHOLICISM UPON OVR. 

COUNTRY. 



WHY TRUE ROMAN CATHOLICS CANNOT BECOME TRUE PA- 
TRIOTIC AMERICAN CITIZENS. 

Reader, did it ever occur to you that it was an absolute im- 
possibility for a Catholic who devoutly believes in all the 
creed and superstitions of the Catholic Church to make a true 
patriotic American citizen? This may appear to you to be a 
very broad assertion and one that you may have your doubts 
whether we can substantiate. If we fail to make this point 
clear to your mind we will not ask you to believe it. The 
Catholic religion is founded on the rock of superstition. 
Why? Because every code of their church doctrine teaches 
that the Pope is infallible and cannot err in his judgment 
which is an absurd proposition, for if you believe the teach- 
ings of the Bible you cannot believe that any man has in this 
life reached a state of immortality; and if the Pope cannot err, 
he necessarily must be superhuman, and no one can be 
immortal so long as he is mortal, and so long as 
there is life in the body that long we are mortal 
and liable to the Adamic sin which was placed upon the 
world in the Garden of Eden at the fall of Adam when 
he ate the forbidden fruit. Now, if the Pope is infallible and 
immortal, and every action of his is pure, and if it is impos- 
sible for him to err, then the priests of every nation are infal- 
lible and just as pure and immortal as he, for they are of his 
creation, and as their power is not originated by themselves, 
but comes direct and solely from the Pope, and as he is infal- 
lible and immortal (as all Catholics claim) it would be impos- 
sible for him to create anything impure, and as the priests are, 
of his own creation, then they must be of the same composi-^ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 419 

tion as he, consequently the only logical deduction that any 
intelligent man or woman can arrive at (if Catholic doctrines 
be true) is that all Catholic priests are infallible and immortal, 
therefore, are as pure as the Pope, who claims to be just as 
pure as God himself. 

Again, if the Pope is infallible and cannot err, necessarily 
the priests are also, and if both be pure and cannot err, then 
the members of the Catholic Church, as they leave the confes- 
sional box after having the priests pardon their sins, are just 
as pure as an angel in heaven and have arrived at this state of 
purity without a semblance of God. 

Now, in conclusion of what we claim to be the only logical 
construction that can be placed upon the claims of Catholi- 
cism, if the Pope cannot err, it is impossible for the priestcraft 
to err, as they are the handiwork of the Pope, and if neither 
can err, then they have just as much power to save a soul as 
God Almighty, and any intelligent Protestant can see at a 
glance that when you educate a man to believe that he can be 
saved without a living God, that he is not a true American 
citizen, for it is impossible to be true to his country and be- 
lieve at the same time that his existence on earth and in etern- 
ity depends upon a foreign decrepit mortal who never was a 
man of even modern intelligence, compared with the Ameri- 
can standard of intellectuality. If it is impossible for a for- 
eign born, who is bound to the Vatican of Rome to make a 
thorough patriotic citizen of America, then we can trace, and 
lay at the door of Catholicism all of the fermentation of our 
American strikes and labor agitations, we mean by this, 
among common labor, such as coal mining and other labor 
that is performed by the lower class of foreigners. Not only 
can you saddle upon the followers of Catholicism this dissat- 
isfied element, but the vicious and dastardly deeds that as- 
tonish the world during these strikes, such as using dynamite 
and other agencies that take innocent and unprotected hu- 
man lives. It is impossible to trace any of these diabolical 
deeds to a true patriotic Protestant-American, and I defy any 
man living to furnish convicting evidence of one instance. 

Can you expect more of a class of people who have never 




Massacre of Protestants in the Sixteenth Century. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 421 

been taught anything but bHnd and idolatrous superstition? 
Can you expect more of a class of men who believe in no 
power but the Pope at Rome, and acknowledge no one as hav- 
ing the right to administer justice but the priestcraft? They 
know no civil government, they have been filled full of abom- 
inable heathenish doctrines from their infancy, and taught to 
believe that no sin is so grievous or terrible but what the par- 
ish priest has the power to forgive. 

The mission of Rome is to teach that the inferior, the peo- 
ple, must obey the superior, just as the corpse obeys the hand 
which moves it, or as the stick obeys the arm which directs it, 
she knows well that she cannot fulfill her mission, and attain 
to her objects so long as this government of a free, sovereign 
people stands ; she is, then, bound to oppose, paralyze and 
destroy that government when she finds her opportunity. 

With lynx's eye, she watched that opportunity and with 
anxiety and rage she spied from her cradle the onward march 
of this young giant republic. She knew that it was in the 
bosom of every true citizen of the United States to propagate 
those accursed (by her) principles of equality, fraternity and 
liberty all over the world. She saw that the irresistible influ- 
ence of those principles were felt on the most distant nations, 
as well as the poor, miserable, Irish people she was keeping 
under her heavy and ignominious yoke; she understood that 
there was a real danger for her very existence if those prin- 
ciples would continue to spread ; that her slavery star would 
go down as the liberty star would rise on the horizon. In a 
word, Rome saw at once that the very existence of the United 
States was a formal menace to her own life. Already she had 
seen the chains of two millions of her Irish slaves melted at 
the simple touch of the warm rays of liberty which had fallen 
from the stars and stripes banners. From the very beginning 
she perfidiously sowed the germs of division and hatred be- 
tween the two great sections of this country, and she felt un- 
speakable joy when she saw that she had succeeded in divid- 
ing the South from the North, on the burning question of 
slavery. She looked upon that division as her golden oppor- 
27 



422 



THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH. 



tunity. To crush one part by the other, and reign over the 
bloody ruins of both has invariably been her policy. She 
hoped that the hour of her supreme triumph over this conti- 
nent was come. She ordered her elder son, the Emperor of 
France, to keep himself ready to help her crush the North, by 
having an army in Mexico ready to support the South, and 
she bade all the Roman Catholic bishops, priests and people 
to enroll themselves under the banners of slavery. And 
everybody knows how the Roman Catholic bishops and 
priests, almost to a man, obeyed that order. Only one bishop 
dared to disobey. Above everything, it was ordered to op- 
pose the election of Lincoln at any cost. For, from the very 
first day his eloquent voice had been heard, a thrill of terror 
had gone through the hearts of the partisans of slavery. They 
called him an ape, a stupid brute, a most dangerous lunatic, a 
bloody monster, a merciless tyrant, etc., etc In a word, 
Rome exhausted all her resources of language, she ransacked 
the EngHsh dictionary to find the most suitable expressions 
to fill the people with contempt, hatred and horror against 
him. But it was written in the decrees of God that the honest 
Abraham Lincoln should be proclaimed President of the 
United States the 4th of March, 1861. 

LIBERTY AND ROMANISM CANNOT LIVE TOGETHER. 

The whole genius of the Roman Catholic Church is out of 
harmony with the theory of the American government — 
these two cannot live together. If the American govern- 
ment survives, Romanism dies — she cannot breathe this pure 
air of liberty of thought and speech, without having a fatal 
attack of la grippe. Our theory of government is a govern- 
ment of the people, by the people, and for the people; the 
rulers are only our servants, to carry out our will, wish and de- 
sire. The Roman Catholic theory is: the people are to be 
governed by the hierarchy, from the Pope down to the lowest 
prelate. Brownson in his essay gives us the place claimed by 
the Roman Catholic Church in regard to the people over 
whom she has sway. ''The people," he says, ''need govern- 
ing, and must be governed." (Like cattle by brute force.) 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 423 

''They must have a MASTER. The reHgion which is to answer 
our purpose must be above the people, and able to COM- 
MAND THEM. (Do, or be refused the sacraments; do, or be 
excommunicated; in a word, do, or be damned.) The first 
lesson to the child is obey; the first and last lesson to the 
people, individually and collectively, is, OBEY; and there is no 
obedience where there is no authority to enjoin it. The Ro- 
man Catholic religion, then, is necessary to sustain popular 
liberty, because popular liberty can be sustained only by a re- 
ligion free from popular control, above the people, speaking 
from above and able to command them (as in the days of the 
Inquisition) and such a religion is the Roman Catholic. In 
this sense, we wish THIS COUNTRY TO COME UNDER 
THE POPE OF ROME. As the visible head of the Church, 
the spiritual authority which Almighty God has instituted to 
teach and govern the nation, we assert his supremacy, and 
tell our countrymen that we would have them submit to him. 
(And would compel them to submit or die, if they had the 
power.) They may flare up at this as much as they please, 
and with as many alarming and abusive editorials as they 
choose, or can find time and space to do — they will not move 
us, or relieve themselves from the obHgation Almighty God 
has placed them under, of obeying the authority of the Cath- 
olic Pope and all." 

WARNING TO AMERICANS. 

''Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, I conjure 
you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousies of a free peo- 
ple ought to be constantly awake. History and experience 
both prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful 
foes of a republican government." — Washington's Farewell 
Address. 

"Foreign influence to America is Hke the Grecian Horse to 
Troy; it conceals an enemy in its heart. We cannot be too 
careful to exclude its entrance." — Madison. 

"I can scarcely withhold myself from joining in the wish of 
Silas Dean, that there was an ocean of fire between this and 
the Old World."— JefYerson. 



424 ^^H DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"It is true, we should become a little more Americanized/* 
— ^Jackson. 

''They will make an election a curse instead of a blessing." 
— M. VanBuren. 

''The people of the United States, may they remember that 
to preserve their liberty they must do their own voting and 
their own fighting." — Harrison. 

"Lord, preserve our country from all foreign influences." — 
The last prayer of Gen. Jackson. 

PLANS FOR OVERTHROWING OUR GOVERNMENT. 

The Duke of Richmond, formerly Governor-General of 
Canada, said : "The government of the United States is weak, 
inconsistent and bad ; it must and will be destroyed. So long 
as it exists, no prince in Europe will be safe on his throne. 
The sovereigns of Europe are aware of this, and are deter- 
mined upon its destruction. They have come to an understand- 
ing upon this subject, and decided on the means to accomplish 
it. They will eventually succeed by subversion, rather than 
conquest. All the low population of Europe will be carried 
into America — it will be a receptacle for the bad and disaf- 
fected. This will create a surplus, a heterogeneous popula- 
tion, speaking a different language — of different religion and 
sentiments — they will carry with them their principles — will 
adhere to .their former governments, laws, manners, customs 
and religion — speak of them among the nations, some will 
join with them — and they will become citizens — discord and 
civil war will follow — some popular man will take the lead to 
restore order — the European sovereigns will aid him — all the 
ignorant will join, and the government will be subverted." 

DESTROYING AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS. 

First all the Popes, and especially Pius IX. and Leo XIIL, 
have laid down the plan according to which all Roman Catho- 
lics in this country are to proceed, in order to destroy our 
American institutions. In the "Syllabus" of Pius IX., of 
1864, the Pope condemns the following things, or rather he 
consigns to eternal damnation: 




God Grant that the Snake Nurtured in Jesuitical Institutions May 
Never Encircle our National Government! 



426 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

1. All those who maintain the liberty of press. 

2. All who maintain the liberty of conscience or of worship. 

3. Those who contend for liberty of speech. 

4. Those that hold that Roman Pontiffs, or Councils, have 
exceeded the limits of their power, and usurped the rights of 
princes (in torturing, burning, and otherwise murdering here- 
tics, &c.). 

5. Those who say the Church may not employ force (or 
persecute and destroy heretics). 

6. Those who hold that in a conflict of laws, civil and eccle- 
siastical, the civil law ought to prevail. 

7. Or those who hold that any method of instruction of 
youth, solely secular, may be approved. 

8. Those who hold that marriage is not in its essence a sa- 
crament. 

9. Those that hold that marriage not sacramentally con- 
tracted has a binding force. 

10. Those who hold that any other religion than the Ro- 
man religion may be estabHshed by the State. 

11. Those who hold that in countries called Catholic, the 
free exercise of other religions may laudably be allowed. 

12. Those who hold that the Roman Pontiff ought to come 
to terms with progress, liberalism, and modern civilization. 

ROME'S LARGE NUMBER OF CRIMINALS. 

Rome relies for success on her criminals. Of this there is 
abundant proof. So much proof indeed that we hardly know 
where to begin. A recent number of a prominent Italian 
journal, called El Solfeo, furnishes the following statement 
of facts. In 1870, that is just before Rome was made the cap- 
ital of Italy, when the Pope lost his temporal power, there 
were in the city 2,469 secular clergy, among cardinals, bishops, 
prelates and cures; 2,766 monks, and 2,117 nuns; in all 7,322 
religious of both sexes. The number of births reached in the 
year to 4,378, of which 1,215 were legitimate, and 3,163 ille- 
gitimate; the illegitimates therefore were more than 75 per 
cent. And all this in the city of Rome, the abode of "His 
HoHness," and swarming with holy bishops, and priests, and 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. j^ 27 

nuns. Nor in regard to the capital crime did the Pontifical 
States occupy a favorable position before they were annexed 
to Italy by Victor Immanuel. The statistics relating to the 
latest years of the Pope's government, show that there was 
committed one murder in England for every 187,000 inhabi- 
tants; in Holland, one for every 168,000; in Russia, one for 
every 100,000; in Australia, one for every 4,113; in Naples, 
one for every 2,750; and in the States of the Pope, one for 
evey 750 ! ! ! Think of it ! In Protestant England one mur- 
der for every 187,000 inhabitants, and in the Papal States, 
under the holy government of the Pope himself, a murder for 
every 750 of the population ! Is the Roman Catholic Church 
the Church of Christ or of Antichrist? An English paper 
says that the Roman Catholics in Scotland are less than 
one-twelfth of the population, yet this one-twelfth furnishes 
one-third of the criminals. Rome breeds murderers and all 
sorts of criminals. It is so everywhere. 

ROME RELIES FOR HER SUCCESS ON FOREIGNERS. 

The Mayor of New York, Mr. Hewitt, declared, in a mes- 
sage, that, according to the census of I1880, thirty-nine and 
a half per cent, of the people were foreign born and an addi- 
tional forty and a half per cent, were born of foreign parentage 
so that more than 80 per cent, of the people are foreigners. 
There are thirty-seven nationalities, speaking eighty differ- 
ent dialects. And the dangerous thing about this fact is that 
these foreigners are voters, and always cast their votes in fa- 
vor of Popery and against liberty. The priests of Rome are 
at the bottom of this dangerous immigration that is bringing 
to our shores millions of ignorant, priest-ridden and murder- 
ous Papists from Europe, by whose votes they hope to destroy 
all that is most glorious in American Institutions. Let 
Americans who love their country insist that Congress shall 
shut the gates against these bigoted and superstitious hordes 
before it is too late. 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED, 429 

BLIND-FOLDING THE PEOPLE. 

^'Gregory, XVI. said that there was no place in the world 
where he was Pope so much as in America. Pius IX. uttered 
the same sentiment. Leo XIII. confidentially relies upon the 
same supposition. It reminds us, friends, that in every other 
land on the globe the Roman Catholic hierarchy is looked 
upon with suspicion, and watched as an enemy, save in the 
United States, where it is blind-folding the people and arming 
the assassins of liberty. 

TO BRING THE DARK AGES UPON US AGAIN. 

''The Pope, in his Encyclical letter of December 8, 1864, 
published in Latin, and issued to the Romish Church of the 
whole world for its guidance, condemned eighty of the lead- 
ing and ruling principles of modern civilization and indicated 
what principles are to guide that church in its endeavor to 
bring the dark ages upon us again. Below are a few of the 
principles, selected by their numbers, as they stand in the 
encyclical : 

19. The Romish Church has a right to exercise its author- 
ity, without having any limits set to it by the civil power. 

24. The Romish Church has the right to avail itself of force- 
and to use the temporal power for that purpose. 

27. The Pope and priests ought to have dominion over 
temporal affairs. 

31. The Romish clergy should be tried for civil and crim- 
inal ofTenses only in ecclesiastical courts. 

42. In cases of conflict between the ecclesiastical and civil 
powers, the ecclesiastical powers ought to prevail. 

45. The Romish Church has the right to interfere in the 
discipline of the public schools, and in the arrangement of the 
studies of the public schools, and in the choice of teachers for 
these schools. 

47. Public schools open to all children for the education of 
the young should be under the control of the Romish Church, 
and should not be subject to the civil power, nor made to 
conform to the opinions of the age. 



430 THB DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

78. The Roman Catholic religion should be the only relig- 
ion of the State, and all other modes of worship be excluded. 

ROMANISM THE POPULAR RELIGION OF CRIMINALS. 

We think Father Gleason will find the Roman Catholic 
Church is responsible for much of the illiteracy to be found in 
the United States; and by logical statistics, which cannot be 
refuted, the Roman Catholic Church is the mother and father 
of the majority of the criminals in our land to-day. I am deal- 
ing with facts. Go into any of our prisons in this or any other 
of our states, and call the roll of the prisoners, and ask each: 
'What is your faith? What is the faith of your father and 
mother?" and you will find 90 per cent, will answer "The Ro- 
man Catholic faith." And if he will inquire a little further he 
will find that 85 per cent, were educated at parochial rather 
than in the pubHc schools. Then, if he will go through the 
drinking saloons of our city, and ask each keeper of these 
houses of death and destruction, ''What faith were you 
brought up in?" he will have to put down the answer eight 
times out of ten, ''Roman Catholic." And he will find a ma- 
jority of these keepers of saloons were brought up in foreign 
countries, and hence they were educated in foreign Catholic 
schools. 

PARSON BROWNLOW'S PHILOSOPHY. 

Many of you have heard of Parson Brownlow, that noted 
minister of Knoxville, Tenn. He was a strong Union man 
during the war, yet he was loved by the Southern people as 
few men were loved by them. During the war a friend of his 
in the South, Gen. Pillow, was raising a regiment, and when it 
was completed he wrote to Parson Brownlow and said : "Dear 
Brownlow, I have raised a regiment, and I want you to come 
out and be our chaplain." 

To this Brownlow wrote the following reply: "Dear Sir: 
Your letter is to hand. When I make up my mind to go to 
hell, I will cut my throat and go direct, and not by way of the 
Southern Confederacy." Some of us, my hearers, rather than 
bow to sinful priest, or mumble useless prayers, or sprinkle 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 431 

ourselves with holy water, or wear that scapular rag, would be 
inclined to adopt Brownlow's sentiments. 

IMMIGRATION OUR DAMNATION. 

There are two great dangers which threaten our nation. 

First, immigration. 

Second, propagandation. 

Our wisest and noblest statesmen have looked upon immi- 
gration with alarm. Daniel Webster said in his day: "There 
is an imperative necessity for remodeling the naturalization 
laws of the United States." If Daniel Webster said that in 
his day, when immigrants came here only by the handful, what 
would he say to-day if he should stand at Castle Garden and 
see them coming in at the rate of 5,000 to 25,000 a week? 

Lord Macauley said: ''The crucial test for the American 
Republic will come in the early part of the 20th century, and 
as the Huns swept down on Rome, so will a vast horde sweep 
down on America, and the services of a second Napoleon will 
be needed to stay this tide." Macauley was more than a 
historian, he was a prophet, and well will it be for us to heed 
his prophecy. 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH GREATER THAN OUR GOV- 
ERNMENT. 

Peter Dens, the great and recognized expounder of Ro- 
mish ecclesiastical laws, says : ''The Pope can dispense with 
any law. The constitutions and degrees of the Pope are ex- 
planations of the divine law, and are therefore binding as soon 
as known. The Church does not recognize the right of any 
government to say whether or not the Pontifical decrees shall 
be enforced. She is supreme, independent, and can therefore 
admit of no intermeddling with her authority. . . .The State 
ought to recognize and carry into effect the laws of the 
Church," &c. 

GENERAL LAFAYETTE'S DECLARATION. 

General Lafayette, although a Romanist himself, declared 
that: "If the American government is ever destroyed, it will 
be by the priests of Rome." 



432 ^^B DBVIL IN THH CHURCH: 

rOR GOD OR THE DEVIL. 

Forget not that Rome claims that this country belongs to 
her, and that she has an army of 700,000 men drilled for action 
and ready to fight to enforce her rules in America. 

As in our civil war there came to be but two parties, one 
for freedom and the other for slavery, so here we have a party 
for God and the truth ; and another for the devil and Roman- 
ism. Thousands in the Church of Rome, tired of the terrible 
despotism, are ready to join the ranks of freedom, escape dull 
routine, and prelude to decay and dissolution, and come out 
for liberty and their adopted country. 

But, it may be asked, ''Has the Romish Hierarchy any ma- 
terials or agencies that can really injure this great Protestant 
Republic? What can ten millions do as against twenty m.il- 
lions?" But the ten millions are thoroughly organized and 
the twenty millions are not. That makes a vast difference, as 
every one must see. 

''The Roman Catholic Review, of January, 1852, said: 
"Protestantism, of every form, has not, and never can have, 
any rights where Catholicism is triumphant." 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AT AN END. 

The Archbishop of St. Louis said: "If the Catholics ever 
gain, as they surely will, an immense numerical majority in 
this country, religious freedom will be at an end." 

"NO MURDER TO KILL CERTAIN PERSONS." 

"Pope Gregory VH. decided it was no murder to kill ex- 
communicated persons." 

PROUD BOASTS OF ROMAN CATHOLICS. 

The Catholic World, of New York, says: "The Catholic 
Church numbers one-third of the population, and if its mem- 
bership shall increase for the next thirty years as it has in the 
thirty years past, Rome will have a majority and possess this 
country and keep it. There is 'ere long to be a State relig- 
ion in this country and that religion is to be Roman Catholic. 




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434 ^^^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

The Roman Catholic is to wield his vote for the purpose of se- 
curing Catholic ascendancy in this country." 

In reply to McGee, editor of Freeman's Journal, the bish- 
ops and priests said: "We are determined, like you, to take 
possession of the United States and rule them." Let us then 
multiply our votes; let us call our poor but faithful Irish Cath- 
olics from every corner of the world and gather them into the 
very hearts of those proud citadels which the Yankees are so 
rapidly building up." 

WHO DID THE DESERTING DURING THE CIVIL WAR? 

In reply to the boast so freely made by Roman Catholic ed- 
itors and orators that the Irish fought the battles of the civil 
war and saved the nation, the following document, received 
from Washington, is here given : 
Whole number of troops engaged in the war, .... 2,128,200 

Natives of the United States, 1,625,267 

Germans, 180,817 

Irishmen, 144,221 

British (other than Irish) 90,040 

Other foreigners, 87,855 

The desertions were as follows : 

Natives of the United States, 5 per cent. 

Germans, 10 per cent. 

IRISH CATHOLICS, 72 per cent. 

British (other than Irish), 7 per cent. 

Other foreigners, : 6 per cent. 

"In other words, of the 144,000 Irishmen that enlisted, 
104,000 deserted; and it is reliably stated that most of these 
desertions occurred after the recognition of the Confederacy 
by the Pope. It is also a fact that of the 5 per cent, of native 
Americans rated as deserters, 45 per cent, of the 5 per cent, 
were Roman CathoUcs." 

THE CONDITIONS IN PHILADELPHIA. 

Philadelphia has 8,034 persons engaged in the rum trafific, 
and who are they? Chinamen, 2; Jews, 2; Italians, 18; Span- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 435 

iards, 140; Welsh, 160; French, 285; Scotch, 497; EngHsh, 
568; Germans, 2,179; Insh, 3,041; Africans, 265; Ameri- 
cans, 205. Of this number, 3,696, all were foreigners but one. 
And of the whole number of 8,034 engaged in the liquor 
traffic in that city 6,418 have been arrested for some crime! 
The most immoral centers of New York are the liquor sa- 
loons, and yet nine-tenths of these are run by members of the 
Roman CathoHc Church. The Roman CathoHcs of Scotland 
are one-twelfth of the population, but they furnish one-third 
of the criminals. In England and Wales they are one- 
twentieth, but they furnish one-fourth of the criminals." 

ROME'S RESPONSIBILITY EOR THE ASSASSINATION OF ABRA- 
HAM LINCOLN. 

Concerning the assassination of President Lincoln, Father 
Chiniquy says: *'At the end of August, having known from a 
Roman Catholic priest, whom, by the mercy of God, I had 
persuaded to leave the errors of Popery, that there was a 
plot among them to assassinate the President, I thought it 
was my duty to go and tell him what I knew, at the same time 
giving him a new assurance of the gratitude for what he had 
done for me. 

Knowing that I was among those who were waiting in the 
ante-chamber, he sent immediately for me, and received me 
with greater cordiahty and marks of kindness than I could ex- 
pect. 

''I am so glad to meet you again," he said, "you see that 
your friends, the Jesuits, have not yet killed me. But they 
would have surely done it, when I passed through their most 
devoted city, Baltimore, had I not defeated their plans, by 
passing incognito a few hours before they expected me. We 
have the proof that the company which had been selected and 
organized to murder me, was led by a rabid Roman Catholic, 
called Byrne; it was almost entirely composed of Rornan 
Catholics; more than that, there were two disguised priests 
among them, to lead and encourage them. I am sorry to 
have so little time to see you ; but I will not let you go before 
telling you that a few days ago, I saw Mr. Morse, the learned 



436 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

inventor of electric telegraphy; he told me that when he was 
in Rome not long ago, he found out the proofs of a most for- 
midable conspiracy against this country and all its institutions. 
It is evident that it is to the intrigues and emissaries of the 
Pope, that we owe, in great part, the horrible civil war which 
is threatening to cover the country with blood and ruins. 

''I am sorry that Prof. Morse had to leave Rome before he 
could know more about the secret plans of the Jesuits against 
the liberties and the very existence of this country. But do 
you know that I want you to take his place and continue that 
investigation? My plan is to attach you to my Ambassador 
of France, as one of the secretaries. In that honorable posi- 
tion you would go from Paris to Rome, where you might find, 
through the direction of Mr. Morse, an opportunity of reunit- 
ing the broken threads of his researches. 'It takes a Greek 
to fight a Greek.' As you have been twenty-five years a priest 
of Rome, I do not know any man in the United States so well 
acquainted as you are with the tricks of the Jesuits, and on the 
devotedness of whom I could better rely. And, when once on 
the staff of my Ambassador, even as one of the secretaries, 
might you not soon yourself become the Ambassador? I am 
in need of Christian men in every department of the public 
service, but more in those high positions. What do you think 
of that?" 

*'My dear President," I answered, "I feel overwhelmed by 
your kindness. Surely nothing could be more pleasant to me 
than to grant your request. The honor you want to confer 
upon me is much above my merit; but my conscience tells me 
that I cannot give up the preaching of the Gospel to my poor 
French Canadian countrymen, who are still in the errors of 
Popery. For I am about the only one who, by the Provi- 
dence of God, has any real influence over them. I am, surely, 
the only one the bishops and priests seem to fear in that 
work. The many attempts they have made to take away my 
life are proof of it. Besides that, though I consider the pres- 
ent President of the United States much above the Emperors 
of France, Russia, and Austria, much above the greatest 
kings of the world, I feel that I am the servant, the Ambassa- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 437 

dor of One who is as much above even the good and great 
President of the United States, as the heavens are above the 
earth. I appeal to your own Christian and honorable feelings 
to know if I can forsake the one for the other." 
-The President became very solemn, and replied : 

"You are right ! you are right ! There is nothing so great 
under heaven, as to be the Ambassador of Christ." 

But, then, coming back to himself, with one of his fine 
jokes, which he had always ready, he asked : 

"Yes ! yes ! You are the Ambassador of a greater Prince 
than I am; but he does not pay you with as good cash as I 
would do." 

"My dear President," I said, "I must repeat to you here 
what I said when in Urbana, in 1856. My fear is that you will 
fall under the blows of a Jesuit assassin, if you do not pay 
more attention than you have done till now to protect your- 
self. Remember that because Coligny was an heretic, as you 
are, he was brutally murdered in the St. Bartholomew night; 
that Henry IV. was stabbed by the Jesuit assassin, Revaillac, 
the 14th of May, 1610, for having given liberty of conscience 
to his people, and that Williafn the Taciturn was shot dead 
by another Jesuit murderer, called Girard, for having broken 
the yoke of the Pope. The Church of Rome is absolutely the 
same to-day, as she was then ; she does believe and teacn to- 
day as then, that she has the right and that it is her duty to 
punish by death any heretic who is in her way as an obstacle 
to her designs. The unanimity with which the Catholic hier- 
archy of the United States is on the side of the rebels is an in- 
controvertible evidence that Rome wants to destroy this Re- 
public, and as you are, by your personal virtues, your popular- 
ity, your love for liberty, your position, the greatest obstacle 
to their diabolical scheme, their hatred is concentrated upon 
you; you are the daily object of their maledictions; it is at 
your breast they will direct their blows. My blood chills in 
my veins when I contemplate the day which may come, sooner 
or later, when Rome will add to all her other iniquities tlie 
murder of Abraham Lincoln." 




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HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 439 

When saying these things to the President, I was exceed- 
ingly moved, my voice was as choked, and I could hardly re- 
tain my tears. But the President was perfectly calm. When 
I had finished speaking he took the volume of Bussambaum 
from my hands, read the Hues which I had marked with red 
ink, and I helped him translate them into English. He then 
gave me back the book and said: 

**I will repeat to you what I said at Urbana, when for the 
first time you told me your fears lest I should be assassinated 
by the Jesuits. 'Man must not care where and when he will 
die, provided he dies at the post of honor and duty.' But I 
may add to-day, that I have a presentiment that God will call 
me to Him through the hand of an assassin. Let His will, 
and not mine be done." He then looked at his watch and 
said : ''I am sorry that the twent}^ minutes I had consecrated 
to our interview have almost passed away ; I will be forever 
grateful for the warning words you have addressed to me 
about the dangers ahead to my life from Rome. I know that 
they are not imaginary dangers. If I were fighting against a 
Protestant South as a nation there would be no danger of as- 
sassination. The nations who read the Bible, fight bravely on 
the battlefield, but they do not assassinate their enemies- 
The Pope and the Jesuits, with their infernal Inquisition, are 
the only organized power in the world which have recourse 
to the dagger of the assassin to murder those whom they can- 
not convince with their arguments, or conquer with the 
sword. 

''Unfortunately, I feel more and more every day that it is 
not against the Americans of the South alone I am fighting, 
it is more against the Pope of Rome, his perfidious Jesuits and 
their blind and blood-thirsty slaves, than against the real 
American Protestant, that we have to defend ourselves; here 
is the real danger of our position. So long as they will hope 
to conquer the North, they will spare me ; but the day we will 
rout their armies (and the day will surely come, with the help 
of God), take their cities, and force them to submit; then it is 
my impression that the Jesuits, who are the principal rulers 

q\ the §Quth, wiU dp wli^t the^ hay^ ^Impst invariably don^ 



440 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

in the past. The dagger or the pistol of one of their adepts 
will do what the strong hands of the warriors could not 
achieve. This civil war seems to be nothing but a political 
affair to those who do not see, as I do, the secret springs of 
that terrible drama. But it is more a religious than a civil 
war. It is Rome who wants to rule and degrade the North 
as she has ruled and degraded the South from the very day 
of its discovery. There are only very few of the Southern 
leaders who are not more or less under the Jesuits through 
their wives, family and relations and their friends. Several 
members of the family of Jeff Davis belonged to the Church 
of Rome. Even the Protestant ministers are under the influ- 
ence of the Jesuits without suspecting it. To keep her as- 
cendancy in the North, as she does in the South, Rome is do- 
ing here what she has done in Mexico, and in all the South 
American Republics ; she is paralyzing by a civil war the arms 
of the soldiers of Hberty. She divides our nation in order to 
weaken, subdue and rule it. 

''Surely we have some brave and reliable Roman Catholic 
officers and soldiers in our armies, but they form an insignifi- 
cant minority when compared with the Roman Catholic trai- 
tors against whom we have to guard ourselves, day and night. 
The fact is, that the immense majority of the Roman Catholic 
bishops, priests and laymen are rebels in heart, when they can- 
not be in fact; with very few exceptions, they are publicly in 
favor of slavery. I understand now why the patriots of 
France, who determined to see the colors of liberty floating 
over their great and beautiful land were forced to hang or 
shoot most all the priests and the monks as the irreconcilable 
enemies of liberty. For it is a fact, which is now evident to 
me, that, with very few exceptions, every priest and every true 
Roman Catholic is a determined enemy of liberty. Their ex- 
termination in France was one of those terrible necessities 
which no human wisdom could avoid ; it looks to me now as 
an order from heaven to save France. May God grant that 
the same terrible necessity be never felt in the United States ! 
But there is a thing which is very certain; it is, that if the 
American people coul4 le^rn what I know of tlig perce Imtr^d 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 441 

of the generality of the priests of Rome against our institu- 
tions, our schools, our most sacred rights, and our so dearly 
bought liberties, they would drive them away to-morrow 
from among us, or they would shoot them as traitors. But 
I keep those sad secrets in my heart; you are the only one to 
whom I reveal them, for I know that you learned them before 
me. The history of these last thousand years tell us that 
wherever the Church of Rome is not a dagger to pierce the 
bosom of a free nation, she is a stone to her neck, and a ball 
to her feet, to paralyze her and prevent her advance in the 
ways of civilization, science, intelligence, happiness and lib- 
erty. But I forget that my twenty minutes are gone long ago. 

''Please accept my sincere thanks for the new lights you 
have given me on the dangers of my position, and come again, 
I will always see you with new pleasure." 

My second visit to Abraham Lincoln was at the beginning 
of June, 1862. The grand victory of the Monitor over the 
Merrimac, and the conquest of New Orleans by the brave and 
Christian Farragut had filled every heart with joy; I wanted 
to unite my feeble voice to that of the whole country, to tell 
him how I blessed God for that glorious success. But I found 
him so busy that I could only shake hands with him. 

The third and last time I went to pay my respects to the 
doomed President, and to warn him against the impending 
dangers which I knew were threatening him, was on the morn- 
ing of June 8th, 1864, when he was absolutely besieged by the 
people who wanted to see him. 

The only thought which seemed to occupy the mind of the 
President was the part which Rome had in that horrible 
struggle. Many times he repeated : 

''This war would never have been possible without the sin- 
ister influence of the Jesuits. We owe it to Popery that we 
now see our land reddened with the blood of her noblest sons. 
Though there were great differences of opinion between the 
South and the North, on the question of slavery, neither Jefif 
Davis nor any one of the leading men of the Confederacy 
would have dared to attack the North, had they not relied on 
the promises of the Jesuits, the money and the arms of the 



442 THH DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Roman Catholics, even the arms of France, were at their dis- 
posal, if they would attack us. I pity the priests, the bishops 
and the monks of Rome in the United States, when the people 
realize that they are, in great part, responsible for the tears 
and the blood shed in this war ; the later the more terrible will 
the retribution be. I conceal what I know, on that subject, 
from the knowledge of the nation ; for if the people knew the 
whole truth, this war would turn into a religious war, and I 
would at once, take a ten-fold more savage and bloody char- 
acter. It would become merciless as all religious wars are. It 
would become a war of extermination on both sides. The 
Protestants of both the North and the South would surely 
unite to exterminate the priests and the Jesuits, if they could 
hear what Professor Morse has said to me of the plots made 
in the very city of Rome to destroy this Republic, and if they 
could learn how the priests, the nuns, and the monks, who 
daily land on our shores, under the pretext of preaching their 
religion, instructing the people in their schools, taking care of 
the sick in the hospitals, are nothing else but the emissaries of 
the Pope, of Napoleon, and the other despots of Europe, to 
undermine our institutions, alienate the hearts of our people 
from our Constitution, and our laws, destroy our schools, and 
prepare a reign of anarchy here as they have done in Ireland, 
in Mexico, in Spain, and wherever there are any people who 
want to be free, etc. 

''I am for liberty of conscience in its noblest, broadest, high- 
est sense. But I cannot give liberty of conscience to the Pope 
and to his followers, the papists, so long as they tell me, 
through all their councils, theologians and canon laws, that 
their conscience orders them to burn my wife, strangle my 
children, and cut my throat when they find the opportunity! 

"This does not seem to be understood by the people to-day. 
But sooner or later, the light of common sense will make it 
clear to every one, that no liberty of conscience can be grant- 
ed to men who are sworn to obey a Pope, who pretends to 
have the right to put to death those who differ from him in 
religion. 

''You are the first to warn me against the dangers of as- 




THE BURNING OF PROTESTANTS LATIMER AND RIDLEY. 

Latimer: "Be ,of good courage, Brother Ridle3% for we shall 
this day light such a torch in England as shall never be put out." 



444 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

sassination. My ambassadors in Italy, France and England, as 
well as Professor Morse, have, many times, warned me against 
the plots of the mnrderers whom they have detected in those 
different conntries. But I see no other safeguard against 
those murderers, but to be always ready to die, as Christ ad- 
vises it. As we must all die sooner or later, it makes very lit- 
tle difference to me whether I die from a dagger plunged 
through the heart or from inflammation of the lungs. Let me 
tell you that I have lately read a passage in the Old Testament 
which has made a profound, and, 1 hope, a salutary impression 
on me. Here is that passage." 

The President took his Bible, opened it at the third chapter 
of Deuteronomy, and read from the 22d to the 28th verse. 

''22. Ye shall not fear them ; for the Lord your God shall 
fight for you. 

"23. And I besought the Lord at that time, saying: 

^'24. O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy 
greatness, and thy mighty hand; for what God is there in 
heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and 
according to thy might ! 

"25. I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that 
is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain and Lebanon. 

''26. But God was wroth with me for your sakes and would 
not hear me : and the Lord said unto me, let it suffice thee : 
speak no more unto me of this matter : 

"27. Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine 
eyes westward and northward, and southward and eastward, 
and behold it with thine eyes : for thou shalt not go over this 
Jordan." 

After the President had read these words with great sol- 
emnity, he added : 

''My dear Father Chiniquy, let me tell you that I have read 
these strange and beautiful words several times, these last 
five or six weeks. The more I read them, the more, it seems 
to me that God has written them for me as well as for Moses. 

"The only two favors I ask of the Lord, are, first, that I may 
die for the sacred cause in which I am engaged, and when I 
am the standard-bearer of the rights and liberties of my coun- 
trv. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 445 

"The second fa\(jr 1 ask ivoiw God, is llial ni)' dear son, 
Robert, when I am gone, will be one of those who will lift up 
that flag of Liberty which will cover my tomb, and carry it 
with honor and fidelity, to the end of his life, as his father did, 
surrounded by millions wdio will be called with him to fight 
and die for the defense and honor of our country." 

Never had I heard such sublime words. Never had I seen 
a human face so solemn and so prophet-like as the face of the 
President, when uttering these things. Every sentence had 
come to me as a hymn from heaven, reverberated by the 
echoes of the mountains of Pisgah and Calvary. I was beside 
myself. Bathed in tears, I tried to say something, but I could 
not utter a word. 

I knew the hour to leave had come, I asked from the Presi- 
dent permission to fall on my knees, and pray with him that 
his Hfe might be spared ; and he knelt with me. But I prayed 
more with my tears and sobs than with my words. 

Then I pressed his hand on my lips and bathed it with my 
tears, and with a heart filled with an unspeakable desolation, 
I bade him Adieu ! It was for the last time ! 

For the hour was fast approaching when he was to fall by 
the hand of a Jesuit assassin, for his nation's sake. 

THE REAL CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

''The common people see and hear the big, noisy wheels of 
Southern Confederacy's cars, they call them JefT Davis, Lee, 
Toombs, Beauregard, Semmes, etc., and they honestly think 
that they are the motive power, the first cause of our troubles. 
But it is a mistake. The true motive power is secreted be- 
hind the thick walls of the Vatican, the colleges and schools 
of the Jesuits, the convents of the nuns and the confessional 
boxes of Rome. 

"There is a fact which is too much ignored by the American 
people, and with which I am acquainted only since I became 
President; it is that the best, the leading families of the South, 
have received their education in great part, if not in the whole, 
from the Jesuits and the nuns. Hence those degrading prin- 
ciples of slavery, pride, cruelty, which are as a second nature 



446 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

among so many of those people. Hence that strange want of 
fair play, humanity ; that implacable hatred against the ideas of 
equaHty and hberty, as we find them in the Gospel of Christ. 
You do not ignore that the first settlers of Louisiana, Florida, 
New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina and Missouri were Ro- 
man Catholics, and that their first teachers were Jesuits. It is 
true that those states have been conquered or bought by us 
since. But Rome has put the deadly virus of her anti-society 
and anti-Christian maxims into the veins of the people before 
they became American citizens. Unfortunately the Jesuits 
and the nuns have in great part remained the teachers of those 
people since. They have continued, in a silent, but most ef- 
ficacious way, to spread their hatred against our institutions, 
our laws, our schools, our rights and our liberties, in such a 
way, that this terrible conflict became unavoidable, between 
the North and the South. As I told you before, it is to Popery 
that we owe this terrible civil war. 

''I would have laughed at the man who would have told me 
that before I became the President. But Professor Morse has 
opened my eyes on that subject. And, now, I have seen that 
mystery; I understand that engineering of hell which, though 
not seen, nor even suspected by the country, is putting in mo- 
tion the large, heavy and noisy wheels of the state cars of the 
Southern Confederacy. 

^'Our people are not yet ready to learn and believe those 
things, and perhaps it is not the proper time to initiate them 
to those dark mysteries of hell; it would throw oil on a fire 
which is already sufficiently destructive. 

"You are almost the only one with whom I speak freely on 
that subject. But sooner or later, the nation will know the 
real origin of those rivers of blood and tears, which are spread- 
ing desolation and death everywhere. And, then, those who 
have caused those desolations and disasters will be called to 
give an account of them. 

*'I do not pretend to be a prophet. But I see a very dark 
cloud on our horizon. And that dark cloud is coming from 
Rome. It is filled with tears of blood. It will rise and in- 
crease, till its flanks will be torn by a flash of lightning, fol- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 447 

lowed by a fearful peal of thunder. Then a cyclone such as the 
world has never seen, will pass over this country, spreading 
ruin and desolation from north to south. After it is over, 
there will be long days of peace and prosperity: for Popery, 
with its Jesuits and merciless Inquisitions, will have been for- 
ever swept away from our country. Neither I nor you, but 
our children will see those things." — Abraham Lincoln. 

PRESIDENT LINCOLN COULD NOT CROSS THE JORDAN. 

But Lincoln was on the top of the mountain Pisgah, and 
though he had fervently prayed that he might cross the Jor- 
dan, and enter with his people into the land of promise, after 
which he had so often sighed, he was not to see his request 
granted. The answer has come from heaven: ''You will not 
cross the Jordan, and you will not enter that Promised Land, 
which is there, so near. You must die for your nation's sake !" 
the lips, the heart and the soul of the New Moses were still 
repeating the sublime words : "The judgments of the Lord 
are true and righteous altogether," when the Jesuit assassin, 
Booth, murdered him, the 14th of April, 1865, at 10 o'clock 
P. M. 

Let us hear the eloquent historian, Abbott, on that sad 
event : 

''In the midst of the unparalleled success, and while all the 
bells of the land were ringing with joy, a calamity fell upon us 
which overwhelmed the country in consternation and awe. On 
Friday evening, April 14th, President Lincoln attended Ford's 
Theatre, in Washington. He was sitting quietly in his box, 
listening to the drama, when a man entered the door of the 
lobby leading to the box, closing the door behind him. Draw- 
ing nearer to the President, he drew from his pocket a small 
pistol, and shot him in the back of the head. As the President 
fell, senseless and mortally wounded, and the shriek of his wife, 
who was seated at his side, pierced every ear, the assassin 
leaped from the box, a perpendicular height of nine feet, and 
as he rushed across the stage bare-headed, brandished a dag- 
ger, exclaiming, 'sic semper tyrannis !' and disappeared behind 
the side scenes. There was a moment of silent consterna- 



48 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

tion. 'hen ensued a scene of confusion which it is in \"ain to 
attemp o describe. 

"The ing President was taken into a house near by and 
placed upon a bed. What a scene did that room present ! The 
chief of a mighty nation lay there, senseless, drenched in the 
blood, his brains oozing from his wounds! Sumner, Farwell 
and Colfax and Stanton and many others were there, filled 
with grief and consternation. 

''The surgeon, General Barnes, solemnly examined the 
wound. There was silence as of the grave, the life and death 
of the nation seemed dependent on the result. General Barnes 
looked up sadly and said: 'The wound is mortal!' 

" 'Oh ! no ! General, no ! no !' cried out Secretary Stanton, 
and sinking into a chair, he covered his face, and wept like a 
child. Senator Sumner tenderly held the head of the uncon- 
scious martyr." 

PLAIN EVIDENCE AGAINST LINCOLN'S ASSASSINS. 

Says Father Chiniquy: "But who was the assassin of 
Abraham Lincoln? Booth was nothing but the tool of the 
Jesuits. It was Rome who directed his arm, after corrupting 
his heart and damning his soul. 

After I had mixed my tears with those of the grand country 
of my adoption, I fell on my knees and asked my God to grant 
me to show to the world what I knew to be true, viz: That 
that horrible crime was the work of Popery. And, after twenty 
years of constant and most difficult researches, I come fear- 
lessly to-day, before the American people, to say and prove 
that the President, Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated by the 
priests and Jesuits of Rome. 

In the book of the testimonies given in the prosecution of 
the assassin of Lincoln, published by Ben. Pitman, and in the 
two volumes of the trial of John Surratt in 1867, we have the 
legal and irrefutable proof that the plot of the assassins of 
Lincoln was matured, if not started, in the house of Mary 
Surratt, No. 561 H Street, Washington City, D. C But who 
were living in that house, and who were visiting that family? 
The legal answer says: "The most devoted Catholics in the 



450 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

city!" The sworn testimonies show more than that. They 
show that it was the common rendezvous of the priests of 
Washington. Several priests swear that they were going 
there ''sometimes," and when pressed to answer what they 
meant by ''sometimes," they were not sure if it was not once 
a week, or once a month. One of them, less on his guard, 
swore that he seldom passed before that house without enter- 
ing; and he said he never passed less than once a week. The 
devoted Roman Catholic (an apostate from Protestantism) 
called L. J. Weichman, who was himself living in the house, 
swears that Father Wiget was very often in that house, and 
Father Lahiman swears that he was living with Mrs. Surratt, 
in the same house! 

What does the presence of so many priests, in that house, 
reveal to the world? No man of common sense, who knows 
anything about the priests of Rome, can entertain any doubt 
that, not only they knew all that was going on inside those 
walls, but that they were the advisers, the counsellors, the 
very soul of that infernal plot. Why did Rome keep one of 
her priests under that roof, from morning till night, and from 
night till morning? Why did she send many others, almost 
every day of the week, into that dark nest of plotters against 
the very existence of the great repubhc and against the Hfe of 
her President, the principal generals and leading men, if it 
were not to be the advisers, the rulers, the secret motive power 
of the infernal plot. 

No one, if he is not an idiot, will think and say that those 
priests, who were the personal friends and father confessors of 
Booth, John Surratt, Mrs. and the Misses Surratt, could be 
constantly there without knowing what was going on, particu- 
larly when we know that everyone of those priests was a rabid 
rebel in heart. Every one of those priests knowing that his 
infallible Pope had called Jefif Davis his dear son, and had 
taken the Southern Confederacy under his protection, was 
bound to believe that the most holy thing a man could do, was 
to fight for the Southern cause, by destroying those who were 
its enemies. 

Af)4 that pious Mi^§ Surratt who, the yIvj ne^t day aftfr 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 451 

the murder of Lincoln, said, without being rebuked, in the 
presence of several other witnesses : "The death of Abraham 
Lincoln is no more than the death of any nigger in the army," 
where did she get that maxim, if not from her Church ! 

But if any one has still any doubts of the complicity of the 
Jesuits, in the murder of Abraham Lincoln, let them give a 
moment of attention to the following facts, and their doubts 
will be forever removed. It is only from the very Jesuit ac- 
complice's lips that I take my sworn testimonies. 

It is evident that a very elaborate plan of escape had been 
prepared by the priests of Rome, to save the lives of the as- 
sassins and the conspirators. It would be too long to follow 
all the murderers when, Cain-like, they were fleeing in every 
direction to escape the vengeance of God and man. Let us fix 
our eyes on John Surratt, who was in Washington on the 14th 
of April, helping Booth in the perpetration of the assassina- 
tion. Who will take care of him ? Who will protect and con- 
ceal him? Who will press him on their bosoms, put their 
mantles on his shoulders to conceal him from the just ven- 
geance of the human and divine laws? The priest, Charles 
Boucher (Trial of John Surratt, vol. ii., page 904-912), swears 
that only a few days after the murder, John Surratt was sent 
to him by Father Lapierre, of Montreal ; that he kept him con- 
cealed in his parsonage of St. Liboire, from the end of April 
to the end of July, then he took him back, secretly, to Father 
Lapierre, who kept him secreted in his own father's house, 
under the very shadow of the Montreal bishop's palace. He 
swears (p. 905-914) that Father Lapierre visited him (Surratt) 
often, when secreted at St. Liboire, and that he (Father 
Boucher) visited him, at least twice a week, from the end of 
July to September, when concealed in Father Lapierre's 
house in Montreal. 

But where will those bishops and priests of Canada send 
John Surratt, when they find it impossible to conceal him any 
longer from the thousands of detectives of the United States, 
who are ransacking Canada to find out his retreat? Who will 
ponceal, feed, lodge, and protect him after the priests of 



452 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

Canada pressed his hand for the last time, on board of the 
'Teruvian," the 15th of September, 1865? 

If you want to see him, after he has crossed the ocean, go 
to Vitry, at the door of Rome, and there, you will find him en- 
rolled under the banners of the Pope, in the 9th company of 
his Zouaves, under the false name of Watson (Trial of John 
Surratt vol. i., p. 492). Of course, the Pope was forced to 
withdraw his protection over him, after the government of the 
United States had found him there, and he was brought back 
to Washington to be tried. 

But on his arrival as a prisoner in the United States, his 
Jesuit father confessor whispered in his ear: "Fear not, you 
will not be condemned ! Through the influence of a high Ro- 
man Catholic lady, two or three of the jur3aTien will be Ro- 
man Catholics, and you will be safe." 

LINCOLN, GAS,riELD AND McKINLEY MURDERED BY ASSASSINS 
OF ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH. 

The reader has already been given a history of the assassin- 
ation of Abraham Lincoln, and the part Romanists played in 
that awful tragedy. The grandparents of Guiteau were Ro- 
man Catholics and the assassin of Garfield, therefore, had 
papist blood in his veins. The death of our late lamented 
President McKinley is too fresh in the memory of the reader 
to require any details beyond stating the fact that Czolgosz, 
the assassin, was a devoted Roman Catholic. He was brought 
up in the Catholic parochial schools where no doubt he learned 
much of the hatred he entertained for American principles 
and government. Shortly before Czolgosz was electrocuted, 
he sent for a priest. The priest had quite an extended inter- 
view with him, but refused to tell the truth concerning it — 
giving out to the public a mess of trash. Without doubt 
Czolgosz confessed to him, and having done so, the ends of 
justice were defeated, for the fellow likely obtained ''absolu- 
tion" and the authorities will never know who his accomplices 
were — his confession to the priest being a final revelation, 
^j'his was the case when Mrs. Surratt confessed to Priest Wal- 
ter — the priest refusing to allow her to mak? ^ pubUc vStclte- 
pent, although she desire^ tp do so, 



HIS SBCRUT WORKS EXPOSED. 453 

PRINCES BOUND TO KISS THE POPE'S FEET. 

''This stout look," and the claim of making and unmaking 
Kings at pleasure was most conspicuous in the person of Gre- 
gory VIL, (A. D. 1074,) ''I have received," said he, ''from God, 
the power of binding and loosing, in heaven and on earth ; and 
by his power I forbid Henry the fourth, Emperor of Germany, 
the government of the whole realm of Germany and Italy. I 
also loose all Christians from the oaths they have taken to him ; 
and I decree that no man shall obey him as King." This same 
Pope said : "The Roman Pontiff alone can be called univer- 
sal. He alone has a right to use imperial ornaments. Princes 
are bound to kiss his feet, and his only. He has a right to de- 
pose emperors. No book can be canonical without his au- 
thority. His sentence can be annulled by none; but he may 
annul the decrees of all." 

LICENTIOUSNESS LICENSED. 

In the Roman Chancery the price of keeping a concubine 
was only ten shillings and six pence. In modern times, in 
Mexico, Central and South America, priestly concubinage al- 
most everywhere prevails. Leading Jesuit teachers consider it 
allowable in the priesthood, while marriage is a crime. "For- 
nication, therefore, is sanctioned by a Spanish council, a Ro- 
man pontifT, the canon law," and a Roman saint. St. Ligouri 
says : "A bishop, however poor he may be, cannot appropri- 
ate to himself pecuniary fines without the license of the Apos- 
tolic See. But he ought to apply them to pious uses. Much 
less can he apply those fines to anything else but pious uses, 
which the Council of Trent has laid upon non-resident clergy- 
men or upon those clergymen who keep concubines." This 
was the law of the Council of Trent and this the teaching of 
Ligouri, who was made a saint for his teaching, the same saint 
teaches in reference to 

SABBATH BREAKING 

That "mere handling and the selling of goods at auction on 
Sundays is lawful on account of its being the general cus- 
tom;" and so of bull fights and theatres on Sunday. "On the 
29 



454 ^^^ DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

entrance of a prince or nobleman into a city it is lawful on a 
Sunday to prepare the drapery, arrange the theatre, etc., and 
to act a comedy, also to exhibit the bull fights, because such 
marks of joy are morally necessary for the public good." 
Hence Sabbath-breaking universally prevails in all Catholic 
countries. At mass in the morning, at the bull fight or cock 
fight in the afternoon, at the theatre at night, is the custom. 

DRUNKENNESS 

Is taught thus : "It is lawful to administer the sacraments 
to drunkards if they are in the probable danger of death, and 
had previously the intention of receiving them." 

GAMBLING 

Is also taught by this saint and practiced everywhere in the 
Romish Church. He says : "Not only laymen, but even the 
clergy, do not sin if they play cards for the sake of recreation 
and for a moderate sum of money." It is no wonder then that 
Rome is full of lotteries. 

ILLEGITIMACY 

Follows, of course, such teaching and training everywhere; 
hence it is greater in Roman CathoHc than Protestant coun- 
tries. In 1870 the average illegitimate births in Europe stood, 
for Protestant countries 88 to the 1000 of the population, and 
in Catholic States, 145. 

AN INSULT TO THE PROTESTANT PEOPLE OF AMERICA. 

At the Great Roman Catholic Congress, held in Baltimore, 
November 11, 1889, distinguished prelates and other eminent 
Romanists insulted the Protestants of this nation, and claimed 
for the Pope and his Church, supremacy over the Constitu- 
tion, Government and Laws of these United States. The res- 
olutions of the Congress contained these words : "We can- 
not conclude without recording our solemn conviction that 
the absolute freedom of the Holy See is equally indispensable 
to the peace of the Church and the welfare of mankind." 



HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 455 

"We demand, in the name of humanity and justice, that this 
freedom be scrupulously respected by all secular governments. 

''We protest against the assumption of any such govern- 
ment of a right to affect the interests, or control the action of 
our Holy Father by any form of legislation, or other public 
act to which his full approbation has not been previously giv- 
en, and we pledge to Leo XIIL, the worthy Pontiff, to whose 
hands Almighty God has committed the helm of Peter's bark 
amid the tempests of this stormy age, the loyal sympathy and 
unstinted aid of all his spiritual children, in vindicating that 
perfect liberty which he justly claims as his sacred and inalien- 
able right." 

Surely this is nothing less than treason, and such abject 
clinging to Popery deprives every man who voted for such 
shameful resolutions of all claims to being regarded as a loyal 
and worthy American citizen. 

ARCHBISHOP IRELAND'S BOLD CLAIMS. 

Archbishop Ireland, mistakenly believed by many Protes- 
tants to be a true lover of our American institutions, deliberate- 
ly insults all the Protestant people of this great intelligent and 
liberty-loving country, by declaring, at this same Congress: 
''America is at heart a Christian country." By "Christian" he 
means Roman Catholic, and he, and all priests and bishops 
bigotedly hold that Protestants are heretics and not Chris- 
tians. He says : "As a religious system. Protestantism is in 
helpless dissolution, utterly valueless as a doctrinal or moral 
power and no longer considered a foe with which we must 
count. The Catholic Church is the sole Hving and enduring 
Christian authority." "Our work," he says, "is to make 
America CathoHc. . . . Our cry shall be, God wills it. We 
know that the Church is the sole owner of the truths and 
graces of salvatiorl." If Archbishop Ireland does not know 
that his utterances are utterly false, as well as shamefully in- 
sulting, there are millions of intelligent people of this country 
who do. 



456 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

THE PRIEST AND THE RAILWAY CONDUCTOR. 

The Chicago daily press has been lauding a dead priest, 
named Grogan. They speak of him as a ''Great, big-hearted, 
impulsive Irishman, with a nature as sweet as a mother's love." 
(Who said Rats !) They relate that once, while traveling on a 
railroad, he observed a rack with a book in it, and a card with 
''Read and return" upon it. They report that "Grogan took 
one of the books, turned over a few leaves, then threw it out 
of the window; then marched through the train, and in each 
car marked "Read and throw out," in place of "Read and re- 
turn." 

This reminds us of another priest on the New York Central, 
who threw one of those Bibles out of the window- The con- 
ductor knew what to do with that priest. He stopped the 
train, backed up, then made the priest go out, pick up the 
book, and return it to the rack. There are some men in this 
country who can teach an arrogant, conceited Roman priest 
how he should behave when on a railway. 

ENOUGH SCRIPTURE TO POISON A PARISH. 

A little girl, being asked by a priest to attend his religious 
instruction, refused, saying it was against her father's wishes. 

The priest said she should obey him, not her father. 

"Oh, sir, we are taught in the Bible, 'Jlonor thy father and 
thy mother.' " 

"You have no business to read the Bible," said the priest. 

"But sir, our Saviour said, 'Search the Scriptures' " (John 

v., 39)- 

"That was only to the Jews, and not to children, and you 
don't understand it," said the priest in reply. 

"But, sir, Paul said to Timothy, 'From a child thou hast 
known the Holy Scriptures,' " (2 Tim. iii. 15). 

"Oh," said the priest, "Timothy was being trained to be a 
bishop, and taught by the authorities of the Church." 

"Oh, no, sir," said the child, "he was taught by his mother 
and grandmother." 

On t1iis llie priest turned her away, saying she "knew enough 




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458 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

of the Bible to poison a parish." "The sword of the Spirit 
which is the word of God." 

''PROTESTANTS WILL BE DAMNED ANYHOW." 

There is a Romanist magazine pubHshed in New York, of 
course with ecclesiastical sanction. It is called the Pastor. In 
this magazine curious questions are asked and answered by 
priests. In one number the question is discussed as to the un- 
graciousness of Romanists refusing to help any Protestant 
charity, when Romanists are constantly asking and obtaining 
liberal help from Protestants. The editor settles the question. 
He says: 

'Trotestants hold that you may be saved in any Church ; we 
hold that you must belong to the Catholic Church in order to 
be saved." So the matter resolves itself into this : "Protest- 
ants will be damned anyhow, and we may as well get all we can 
out of them in this world. But we cannot give them anything 
to help a religion which we declare is so absolutely false that 
those who believe it can never be saved." 

IS AMERICA THE "ROAD TO HELL?" 

The Rev. M. F. Shinnors, an Irish priest of the Roman Cath- 
olic Church in Dublin, recently said: 

"From Cardinal Gibbons, from Archbishop Corrigan, from 
Archbishop Ryan, from every American ecclesiastic that takes 
an interest in our Catholic nation, comes the constant cry to 
the Irish hierarchy and clergy: Stop the tide of emigration. 
Save your flocks from the American wolf. Sacrifice not your 
faithful children to Moloch. For your people, America is the 
road to hell !" 

"WE BUY, BUT NEVER SELL." 

A gentleman in Springfield, Mass., recently tried to buy 
from the Roman Catholic bishop a small strip of land which 
was necessary to complete his property. He was met with 
this answer from the bishop : "We buy, but never sell." There 
is much beneath this answer, but we will not refer to it now. 
The Romish Church buys real estate; but never sells real 



HIS SBCRUr WORKS UXPOSUD. 459 

estate; it only sells whiskey, indulgences, and the fraudulent 
promise of taking souls from purgatory. 

WHERE THE SABBATH IS A DAY OF REVELRY. 

There are entire parishes in the State of Louisiana without a 
single Protestant house of worship or a congregation. Some 
of these parishes contain from 50,000 to 100,000 souls. Re- 
ligion in these parishes is really a sacrilege. The holy Sab- 
bath is a day of revelry and debauchery. Drunkenness, gam- 
bling, horseracing and sporting hold high carnival, and on such 
occasions it is greatly to be regretted that the priest is the 
hail-fellow-well-met at these Sunday desecrations. 

"FIFTY-SEVEN MILLIONS OF PROTESTANTS IN THIS COUNTRY 

GOING TO HELL." 

So said ''Father Daniels" in a sermon preached before the 
prisoners — Protestant and Roman Catholic — in Joliet peni- 
tentiary. 

HOW NUNS WERE PREVENTED FROM SEEING A CONGRESSMAN. 

A northern lady, a good Baptist, whose husband is inde- 
pendent of public patronage, rented rooms to a member of 
Congress. Hardly had he got his trunk unstrapped, before 
two nuns came. The girl let them in. They were asked to 
call again after the gentlemen got settled. They were no 
sooner out, than the lady of the house said : 'If those women 
come again, seat them in the hall, and don't let them in until I 
see them." The next day they were seated in the hall, and 
she came down. The lady is utterly fearless, and has no re- 
spect for, nor fear of blackrobed Sisters of Charity. 

"What do you want?" 

"To see the member of Congress." 

"What for?" 

"To see him." 

"He has a wife, and don't need the attention of other 
women." 

"We wish to see him for the Church." 



46o THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

"He is not a Roman Catholic, and has a better church, 
which he helps support." 

Then the old nun claimed she wished to go into a private 
room to fix her shoe. "Fix it here: you are not afraid of me, 
are you?" 

Then she spoke up and asked : ''Do you refuse to let me 
see a member of Congress in this house?" 

"I do." 

"Then we will take the number of this house, and it may be 
to your injury." 

"All right ; take it, and advertise it, if you choose ; my house 
cannot be made a run-way for Romish hirelings." 

THE CHURCH OF ROME AGAINST THE AMERICAN CONSTITU- 
TION. 

Father Chiniquy says : 

"Rome is in constant conspiracy against the rights and liber- 
ties of man all over the world ; but she is particularly so in the 
United States. 

"Long before I was ordained a priest, I knew that my church 
was the most implacable enemy of this Republic. My pro- 
fessors of philosophy, history and theology had been unanimous 
in telling me that the principles and laws of the Church of 
Rome were absolutely antagonistic to the laws and principles 
which are the foundation-stones of the Constitution pf the 
United States. 

"ist. The most sacred principle of the United States Consti- 
tution is the equality of every citizen before the law. But the 
fundamental principle of the Church of Rome, is the denial of 
that equality. 

"2d. Liberty of conscience is proclaimed, by the United 
States, a most sacred principle which every citizen must uphold, 
even at the price of his blood. But liberty of conscience is de- 
clared by all the Popes and Councils of Rome, a most godless, 
unholy and diabolical thing, which every good Catholic must 
abhor and destroy, at any cost. 

"3d. The American Constitution assures the absolute inde- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 461 

pendence of the civil from the ecclesiastical or church power; 
but the Church of Rome declares, through all her Pontiffs and 
Councils, that such independence is an impiety and a revolt 
against God. 

''4th. The American Constitution leaves every man free to 
serve God according to the dictates of his conscience ; but the 
Church of Rome declares that no nian has ever had the right, 
and that the Pope alone can know and say what man must be- 
lieve and do. 

''5th. The Constitution of the United States denies the right 
in any body to punish any other for differing from him in re- 
ligion. But the Church of Rome says that she has a right to 
punish with the confiscation of their goods, or the penalty of 
death, those who differ in faith from the Pope. 

''6th. The United States have established schools all over 
their immense territories, where they invite people to send 
their children, that they may cultivate their intelligence and be- 
come good and useful citizens. But the Church of Rome has 
publicly cursed all these schools, and forbidden their children 
to attend them, under pain of excommunication in this world 
and damnation in the next. 

''7th. The Constitution of the United States is based on the 
principle that the people are the primary source of all civil 
power. But hundreds of times, the Church of Rome has pro- 
claimed that this principle is impious and heretical. She says 
that 'all government must rest upon the foundation of the 
Catholic faith.; with the Pope alone as the legitimate and infalli- 
ble source and interpreter of the law.' 

"I could cite many other things, proving that the Church of 
Rome is an absolute and irreconcilable enemy of the United 
States; but;it would be too long. These are sufficient to show 
the American people that Rome is a viper, which they feed and 
press upon their bosom. Sooner or later, that viper will bite 
to death and kill this Republic. 

"This was foretold by Lafayette and is now promulgated by 
the greatest thinkers of our time.'' 



462 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ROME'S PLAN TO TAKE POSSESSION OF ILLINOIS AND THE 
, FERTILE PRAIRIE STATES. 

On the 15th of December, 1850, Father Chiniquy received 
the following letter: 

Chicago, 111., December ist, 1850. 
Rev. Father Chiniquy, , 

Apostle of Temperance of Canada. 

Dear Sir: ''When I was in Canada, last fall, I intended to 
confer with you on a very important subject. But you were 
then working in the diocese of Boston, and my limited time 
prevented me from going so far to meet you. You are aware 
that the lands of the State of Illinois and the whole valley of 
the Mississippi are among the richest and most fertile of the 
world. In the near future, those regions, which are now a 
comparative wilderness, will be the granary, not only of the 
United States, but of the whole world; and those who will 
possess them, will not only possess the very heart and arteries 
of this young and already so great republic, but will become 
its rulers. 

''It is our intention, without noise, to take possession of those 
vast and magnificent regions of the West in the name and for 
the benefit of our holy church. Our plan to attain that object 
is as sure as easy. There is, every year, an increasing tide of 
emigration from the Roman Catholic regions of Europe and 
Canada towards the United States. Unfortunately, till now, 
our emigrants have blindly scattered themselves among Pro- 
testant populations, which too often absorb them and destroy 
their faith. 

"Why should we not direct their steps to the same spot? 
Why should we not, for instance, induce them to come and take 
possession of these fertile States of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, 
Kansas, etc. They can get those lands now at a nominal price. 
If we succeed, as I hope we will, our holy church will soon 
count her children here by ten and twenty millions, and through 
their numbers, their wealth and unity, they will have such a 
weight in the balance of power that they will rule everything. 

"The Protestants, always divided among themselves, will 




KWfPuia *i>jAEU i»i.aiU> Auvt— iuOAi ▲ caaxiiiuxtaARY £>y=4XUiai, 



464 'I^HB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

never form any strong party without the help of the united vote 
of our CathoHc people ; and that party alone which will ask and 
get our help by yielding to our just demands, will rule the coun- 
try. Then, in reality, though not in appearance, -our holy 
church will rule the United States, as she is called by the 
Saviour Himself to rule the whole world. There is, to-day, 
a wave of emigration from Canada towards the United States 
which, if not stopped or well directed, is threatening to throw 
the good French Canadian people into the mire of Protestant- 
ism. Your countrymen, who once mixed with the numberless 
sects which try to attract them,^ are soon shaken in their faith. 
Their children sent to ProtestaSit schools, will be unable to de- 
fend themselves against the wily and united effort made to 
pervert them. 

But put yourself at the head of the emigrants from Canada, 
France and Belgium ; prevent them from settling any longer 
among the Protestants, by inducing them to follow you to 
Illinois, and with them you will soon see here a Roman Catholic 
people, whose number, wealth and influence will amaze the 
world. God Almighty has wonderfully blessed your labors in 
Canada, in that holy cause of temperance. But now the work 
is done, and the same Great God presents to your Christian 
ambition a not less great and noble work for the rest of your 
life. Make use of your great influence over your countrymen 
to prevent them from scattering any longer among Protestants, 
by inducing them to come here, in Illinois. You will then lay 
the foundation of a Roman Catholic French people whose 
piety, unity, wealth and number will soon renew and revive, on 
this continent, the past and fading glories of the Church of 
France. 

''We have already, at Bourbonnais, a fine colony of French 
Canadians. They long to see and hear you. Come and help 
me to make that comparatively small, though thriving people, 
grow with the emigrants from the French-speaking countries 
of Europe and America, till it covers the whole territory of 
Illinois with its sturdy sons and pious daughters. I will ask the 
pope to make you my coadjutor, and you will soon become my 



HIS SEC RUT WORKS ^aXFOSED. 465 

successor, for I already feel too weak and unhealthy to bear 
alone the burden of my too large diocese. 

"Please consider what I propose to you before God, and 
answer me. But be kind enough to consider this overture as 
strictly confidential between you and me, till we have brought 
our plans into execution. 

Truly yours, 

''Oliv Vandeveld, Bishop of Chicago." 

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT PREACHES. 

One of the strong men of the Methodist Episcopal delega- 
tion from this country to the council in London was the Rev. 
Dr. John P. Brushingham of Chicago, a converted Catholic. 
In one of his addresses, the Sunday after the death of President 
McKinley, he referred to the Christian character of President 
Roosevelt, and said it was an interesting coincidence that he 
had received intelligence from home that Mr. Roosevelt had 
preached the second Sunday previously in his (Dr. Brushing- 
ham's) Church in Chicago, the first Methodist Episcopal, the 
oldest church in that cit}^ President Roosevelt is a member 
of the Dutch Reformed Church, and regularly attends the ser- 
vices of that Church in a small building in Washington. The 
country is blessed in having another Christian man in the White 
House. Now let our President "keep his eye on Rome" and 
be on his guard, and he will do well. 

THE CURSE OF IMMIGRATION. 

The ranks of the Roman Catholic church are being recruit- 
ed by tens of thousands of immigrants emerging from the steer- 
age of transatlantic steamers in immense. hordes, coming from 
every Catholic country in Europe. Ireland has well-nigh emp- 
tied herself upon our shores ; Italy bids fair to rival her in the 
number of contributions that she makes from her slums. 
From the most part these great multitudes retain their connec- 
tion with the Roman Catholic church as subservient sul:)jects, 
and are ready, in return for favors received, to vote as they arc 
required by their masters. 



466 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

WHEN VICES WILL BE GOOD AND VIRTUES BAD. 

"If the Pope should err by enjoining vices or forbidding 
virtues, the church would be obhged to believe vices to be good 
and virtues bad, unless it would sin against conscience."-— 
Cardinal Bellarmime. 

CATHOLICS EIRST AND CITIZENS NEXT. 

''Nationalities must be subordinate to religion, and we must 
learn that we are Catholics first and citizens next. God is 
above man and the church above the state." — Bishop Gilmore. 

AMERICA THE HOPE OF ROME. 

"Out of the Roman States there is no country where I am 
Pope except the United States." — Pope Gregory XVI. 
"America is the hope of Rome." — The Pope. 

THE POPE'S GREAT WEALTH. 

"Dr. McGlynn is quoted as estimating the wealth of the Pope 
at one hundred million dollars." — See "Papal Greed of 
Wealth," Rev. I. J. Lansing. 

CHRISTIANS SHOULD MAKE GREATER EFFORTS TO SAVE 

ROMANISTS. 

At the well the Samaritan woman heard, saw, and believed 
in Christ. As a rule few speak to Roman Catholics. A child 
saying "I am a Roman Catholic" shuts off all effort, while the 
child is taught to shun a Protestant as he would an enemy. 

A Superintendent of a Sabbath-School for nineteen years 
confessed that he had never spoken to a Romanist about his 
soul. So with others. Five ministers in Liverpool working 
in missions declared, "We never thought of trying to lead a 
Romanist to Christ." 

A boy recently came and said, "I am lost, and no one cares 
that I perish." This illustrates our neglect. There is no wel- 
come for priests and nuns who desire to escape the fetters of 
Romanism. A friend well acquainted with many priests reports 
that there are many who would gladly escape the toils of Rome 
if a place of refuge was provided. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 467 

Reared in Rome without a trade or business education, they 
are shut into their present Hfe, however hopeless or wretched 
it may be. A home where they might have an opportunity to 
become acquainted with evangelical views of truth and to study 
the Bible, would be of invaluable service. For the Scriptutre 
saith, ''Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For 
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek," or be- 
tween Romanists and Protestants; ''for the same Lord is over 
all that call upon Him, for whosoever shall call upon the name 
of the Lord shall be saved." — Rom. 10: 11-13. 

ROMANISM IS TO BE DESTROYED, NOT REDEEMED. 

"The system of Romanism is bad from root to stem, from 
heart to cuticle. There is no hope of a Reformed Roman 
Catholic Church. 

There are many who find pleasure in the thought, that be- 
cause Romanists recognize the existence of God, of the death 
of Christ, and of the importance of the Bible, the millions of 
devotees are at some time suddenly to be awakened and re- 
deemed. They feel that as the spring sun and rain is sure to 
bring grass upon the earth and flowers and fruit upon the trees, 
so the brightness of Christ's coming will waken the Church of 
Rome out of slumber, cause the deluded to behold their delu- 
sion, and influence them to pass beyond the crucifix to the 
cross. Indulge the hope. We do not say it is not heaven 
born. The promise, "And then shall that wicked be revealed, 
whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, 
and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming," in- 
spires it. 

This opens the door of hope to Romanists. But for Rome 
there is no promise. 

Romanists need Christ. Tell them so as you tell others, 
and they will come as others. 

The truth did overthrow Paganism. Its power has not 
waned. The gospel preached to Romanists and prayed for, is 
as effective with Romanists as with others." — Rev. J. D. Fulton. 




Woman on her Deathbed Sends Awaj^ Tnsnlting- Priest. Eonn'sh 
?\nns Drew the Bed from Beneath Her Dying Form. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 469 

HOW TO CONVERT ROMANISTS. 

Show to Roman Catholics a better way and a better reHgion 
than theirs. By precept and by example, by every excellence 
of earnest Christian life and effort, American Protestants should 
prove the heavenly superiority of true faith and love. Well 
has this veteran controversialist, Rev. Leonard Bacon, D. D., 
spoken upon this point : 

''We can never do any good to our Roman Catholic neigh- 
bors without treating them courteously and kindly. Let us 
testify against their errors constantly and intelligibly, but 
always courteously. Let us treat them as Avell as we can. If 
to us they are heretics, far astray from the simplicity of the 
Gospel, let us remember that to them we are heretics, self-ex- 
cluded from that church in which alone there is salvation; and 
'putting ourselves in their places' let us treat them as we would 
that they should treat us." 

SHALL THE BIBLE BE OUR GUIDE? 

The question between Roman Catholics and Protestants is 
simply this : "Is the Bible sufficient as a rule of faith, and guide 
to salvation?" We say that it is. They say that it is not. Prove 
that the Bible alone is sufficient ; that it is possible for us to 
read, study and understand the Bible, without the aid of popes, 
fathers or councils, and a complete victory is soon secured. No 
Roman Catholic has ever dared to defend the doctrines and 
rites of his church by a simple appeal to the pure word of God. 
Smarius in his "Points of Controversy," (a Roman Catholic 
work recently published) starts off with a chapter entitled, "The 
Bible not the only Rule of Faith and Practice." Lest some 
may think that our opponents are misrepresented, I will quote 
from a standard Roman Catholic work — Milner's "End of Con- 
troversy :" 

"The Cathohc rule of faith, as I stated before, is not merely 
the written word of God, but the whole word of God, both 
written and unwritten ; in other words. Scripture and tradition, 
and these expounded and explained by the Catholic Church. 
This implies that we have a two-fold rule, or law, and that we 
30 



47© ^^^ DBVIL IN THM CHURCH: 

have an interpreter or judge to explain it, and to decide it in all 
doubtful points." — End of Controversy, page 80. 

There is a very short way to decide the question now fairly 
before us. The Bible is inspired. In other words, God is its 
author. Men wrote it ; but God guided the pen and kept them 
from all error. This is admitted by both parties. Now what 
does the Bible say of itself? Does it claim to be man's only 
infallible and all sufficient guide? If it does, the matter is set- 
tled. In the 2d epistle of Timothy, 3d chapter and 15th verse, 
Paul says : ''And that from a child thou hast known the Holy 
Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation." 
This has a plain, straight-forward look. The Holy Scriptures 
are able to make a child "wise unto salvation." Is not that wise 
enough ? Can Bishop Bailey or even Archbishop McClosky 
do an}^ better with the help of tradition and "Holy Mother 
Church?" 

HOW PROTESTANTS SHOULD TREAT ROMAN CATHOLICS. 

But what can and should American Protestants do in respect 
to Roman Catholics and the Roman Catholic church? 

Draw a broad line of distinction, and put the Roman Catholic 
church and system on the one side of it, and the individuals who 
are connected with that church and system on the other. Let 
it be remembered that Roman Catholics may be better than 
their system, more enlightened than their church. Some mem- 
bers of a family may have little or no share in the stupidities, 
the follies, the vices that characterize the rest. And it is one 
of the blessed inconsistencies of mankind, that often they do 
not see or do not adopt all the logical consequences of their 
own theories. At any rate, the Roman Catholics of our land 
are now our countrymen and our fellow-immortals; and it is 
our duty to regard and treat them as such. We may abhor the 
church and the system by which they are held in subjection, 
while we have compassion on the poor victims of error and de- 
lusion. 

Do not patronize or help Roman Catholic churches, schools, 
convents, hospitals, or any of their institutions. The tendency 
and influence of all thCvSe institutions is pre-eminently denpmi- 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 471 

national. Every thing is under the control of the hierarchy for 
the purposes and objects of the Roman Catholic church. Every 
dollar and every scholar is a contribution to be made the most 
of for the church. Every Roman Catholic priest and monk and 
nun, whether in a school or seminary or hospital or elsewhere, 
is specially bound to make every day's work tell for the advan- 
tage of "holy mother church." 

HOW A ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST BECAME CONVERTED TO 

CHRISTIANITY. 

Rev. J. Donnelly, an ex-priest, gives the following reasons 
why he left the Roman Catholic Church and became a member 
of the Christian Church : 

"Grass does not grow in a day, nor is a man converted from 
Romanism in a week. 

"I believe different people have different experiences, as 
they have different minds and various ways of using them. 
Some may be moved to think by seeing some palpable and dis- 
gusting absurdity in the church, while others see the same and 
look on it as a virtue. 

"But let me state here that with hundreds of minor causes 
that put me to think of the corruption of the Romish church, 
and of salvation through the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
was chiefly the holy life of Protestant Christians when com- 
pared with my fellow citizens, the Roman CathoHcs. One Sab- 
bath morning, before saying mass for my congregation, I was 
sitting on the stoop with a brother priest. The Presbyterians 
and Methodists and Baptists were passing along to their re- 
spective places of worship. Being pretty close to the sidewalk 
I got a fair look into the countenances of the church goers. 
Like a flash of lightning it dawned upon me that these good 
people had some standard of authority and faith higher than 
mine. The contrast, even in their walk and demeanor with 
those of my people on the opposite side of the street, was con- 
vincing. Turning to the other priest I said: 'Father, these 
people are true Christians.' 'What makes you think that?' 
'Well, there is some holiness of Hfe and devotion about them I 

Ccinnpt express, They seem to b? on Qo4's business, whil§ 



472 THB^ DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

the conduct of my people going to church is not edifying.' 
'Oh, said he,' it is pride ; they are black as the ace of spades.' 
By 'black,' he meant bigoted. But to convince him of this 
error I demonstrated how it was the other way; that our peo- 
ple were prejudiced, and refused to subscribe money to the 
erection of their houses of worship in that place, while they, 
the Protestants, never refused to contribute to the building of 
our churches. 'Yes, but,' said he, 'our people know that there 
is but one true church, and that Protestant churches are false, 
heretical, and that they as Catholics have no permission to help 
heresy.' 

"During all this time I had ample evidence that we priests 
were living too far from God, from our people and not far 
enough from ourselves. It became then apparent, as never be- 
fore, that we had the wrong model — that we were patterning 
after men, instead of patterning after the Saviour of men, Jesus 
Christ. 

"I saw in our clergy too much self-righteousness, a domineer- 
ing spirit, all of which was put down by the Scripture, 1 was 
reading, as "an abomination to the Lord." I saw too much 
deception among brother priests, lying, intemperance, ignor- 
ance, superstition, love of money, wine and the opposite sex, 
to entitle them to the exclusive appellation of the only true 
ambassadors of Jesus Christ. By some associating with Pro- 
testant ministers of the various evangelical churches, at the 
same time, I became convinced that we were the ones who were 
in the false system, and were plodding along the wide path to 
perdition. 

"For the most part I found the Protestant clergy character- 
ized by the spirit of prayer, able to pray at any moment without 
a book. I found them men of honor, temperance, education, 
able to come out before the people and discuss the principal 
issues of the day. I found them pure and chaste in expres- 
sions in daily life, and thus inferred that they had purer 
thoughts and purer hearts than our men of the priesthood, who 
seemed to take delight in living in the mire. 

"I learned that when they said 'no,' they meant it; and when 



HIS SUCRBT WORKS UXFOSHl). ,|73 

they promised it was fulfilled. These may seem small things 
to some, but they were among the leading causes to bring me 
from darkness to Hght, from sin to holiness. 

''Do not think for a moment that I denounce priests and peo- 
ple as all wicked. No! Many of them are exemplary, and 
live far above the teachings and practices of their church. We 
are not fighting Roman Catholics in this book, but their worst 
enemy — the ecclesiastical system of Rome. The system makes 
the people what they are. If they are found disloyal to the 
gospel of Christ and to the institutions of our country, I do not 
blame them so much as I do the Roman chain that is around 
the neck of the orthodox Romanist. 

"We should not keep silent about this blighting system. 
The people of the United States ought to see that it is a na- 
tional plague, and that its principles are incompatible with Re- 
publican institutions. Tax-payers must be taught that its aim 
is to enrich Rome by gathering into its coffers the fat of the 
land, and giving. out nothing but dry rot. 

"A fierce war has to be waged between Romanism and true 
Christianity, between sin and holiness. Those who would 
straddle the fence and pretend they have scratching to do on 
the other side are unworthy of notice. We can have no sym- 
pathy with them. They would barter the gospel of Christ, the 
Constitution of the United States and the public schools for 
Romish influence and the Romish dollar. Every one engaged 
in the conversion of Romanists will find these human stumbling 
blocks in every country, state and nation. 

''The system of Rome stands for a low standard of morality 
and citizenship. It keeps up a constant influx of an ignorant, 
unbelieving, superstitious and dangerous foreign element of 
immigration to this country. They come here to enlarge the 
bloated corporosity of the "man of sin," and be a menace to the 
best interests of the nation. They can hardly be adapted to the 
conditions of a Republican form of government. It is the 
worst on earth for them. They have been ruled by the whip 
and the iron rod, and do not know what liberty is." 



474 ^^^ DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

ADMIRAL DEWEY'S TESTIMONY. 

The Church of Rome tried very hard to get Admiral Dewey 
into its clutches when he was married by a Roman Catholic 
priest in AVashington a few years ago. But the Admiral and 
his wife are now members of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 

Last month, the Admiral in his testimony before the Senate 
Committee on Philippine Affairs in session at Washington, re- 
peated his declaration of faith that Almighty God had given 
us the victory over Spain in the recent war. Senator Bever- 
idge, who questioned Admiral Dewey, reminded him of a visit 
he had paid the Admiral on the flagship ''Olympia," in the har- 
bor of Manila, and asked him if he remembered a conversation 
between them when, while they were looking out from the deck, 
the Admiral had said, referring to the success of the American 
arms, that ''he couldn't help thinking that it was all due to a 
higher power than ours." 

''I do," replied the Admiral. ''I remember that I said that, 
and it is my opinion now." 

Admiral Dewey captured and destroyed the Spanish ships, 
and the Church of Rome would have destroyed him if it had 
captured him in its net. His faith in God saved him. If the 
weak Protestants who ''go over" to Rome would look to Al- 
mighty God for guidance, their souls would not be shipwrecked 
in the seas of superstition wherein the "bark of Peter" floats. 

WE SHOULD NOT THINK. 

Freedom of thinking is simply nonsense. We are no more 
free to think without rule than we are to act without one. — 
Plain Talk, p. 93. 

Freedom of thought is the soul of Protestantism ; it is like- 
wise the soul of modern rationalism and philosophy. It is one 
of those impossibilities which only the levity of a superficial 
reason can regard as admissible. But a sound mind, that does 
not feed on empty words, looks upon this freedom of thought 
only as simply absurd, and, what is more, as sinful. — Ibid., pp. 

94,95. 

Should the church think proper, in her wisdom, to define 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 475 

any controverted doctrines,. Catholics, then, arc no more at 
liberty to discuss them, and they believe. Opinion in that case 
becomes a dogma, and what was heretofore debatable as doubt- 
ful will henceforward be certain.— Ibid., p. 97. 

THE AMERICAN CATECHISM- A MANUAL OF PATRIOTISM. 

Q. Who are patriots? 

A. Those who love their country and honor its institutions. 

Q. What is the symbol of American patriotism? 

A. The flag of the Republic, the Stars and Stripes. 

Q. How do patriots treat the flag? 

A. With reverence and affection. 

Q. Do they permit any other flag to be hoisted above ''Old 
Glory?" 

A. Never. 

O. Can any one be a true American patriot and yet own alle- 
giance to some other earthly power as superior to the Re- 
public? 

A. He cannot. The Republic claims and is entitled to the 
undivided loyalty of its subjects. ''We cannot serve God and 
mammon." 

Q. Can any be patriots who are not native-born Americans ? 

A. Yes. Patriotism is not a question of birth, it is a ques- 
tion of loyalty. Many foreign-born citizens are earnest patri- 
ots. They have been naturalized in heart. 

Q. Why should immigration be restricted? 

A. Because the number of immigrants coming to our coun- 
try is much greater than the healthy growth of population re- 
quires; they are coming faster than we can assimilate them. 
Those now coming tend more and more to crowd into cities 
which are already overcrowded; excessive immigration tends 
to foreignize America. We should receive only as many as we 
can Americanize. Only the dykes that shut out the sea keep 
Holland habitable and make it a land of homes, of plenty and 
of liberty. 

Q. Should any foreigner be admitted to full citizenship who 
is not a genuine American patriot? 




The Vain Efforts of the Early Popish Cohorts to 

Destroy Liberty and the Freedom of 

the Printing- Press. 



HIS SL-CRHT WORKS EXPOSED. 477 

A. No. To naturalize those who are aHens at heart is to in- 
troduce poison into the life of the nation. 

Q. What change should be made in the naturalization laws? 

A. They should be uniform in all the States ; should require 
a residence of at least ten years before naturalization ; should 
require all applicants to show clearly that they are suitable per- 
sons to be made citizens ; that they are able to read, write and 
speak the English language; that they have read and under- 
stand the Constitution; that they are of good repute. No 
paupers, criminals, anarchists or polygamists should be admit- 
ted to citizenship. No one should be permitted to vote until 
naturalized. Naturalization of illiterate aliens, as now prac- 
ticed, is a farce, and a serious menace to the stability of the 
Republic. 

Q. What has sex to do with patriotism? 

A. Nothing. Some of the most loyal patriots are women; 
and the Republic has been greatly indebted to them for their 
invaluable services. 

Q. Are women allowed to vote? 

A. Yes. In some States they vote in school elections, in 
others in municipal elections, and in Wyoming at all elections. 

Q. Has religion anything to do with patriotism? 

A. Not necessarily. Men of all shades of religious belief 
may agree in loyalty to the flag and devotion to our free insti- 
tutions. 

Q. Is patriotism, then, at war with religion? 

A. Far from it. Patriotism simply leaves every man free in 
the exercise of his religious privileges. It believes in the abso- 
lute separation of church and state. Religion is a personal mat- 
ter between the individual and his Maker. The State has noth- 
ing to do with it. 

Q. What is the chief characteristic of American civilization? 

A. Civil and religious liberty. 

Q. What is meant by civilhberty? 

A. The right of every individual to life, property and person- 
al freedom so long as he does not interfere with the rights of 
others. 

Q. What is the symbol of civil liberty? 



478 THE DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

A. The ballot. 

Q. What 'safeguards should be thrown around the ballot? 

A. The voter should be protected at the polls from all at- 
tempts to influence his vote ; the votes should be automatically 
registered, so as to render fraud in counting impossible ; bribery 
or intimidation of any kind should be severely punished ; those 
convicted of fradulent voting should be disfranchised. There 
should be a proper educational qualification for voting. Fraud 
upon the ballot-box is anarchy — the destruction of the founda- 
tions of democracy. 

Q. What is meant by religious liberty? 

A. Absolute freedom to worship God according to the dic- 
tates of one's own conscience. 

Q. What is the symbol of religious liberty? 

A. The open Bible. No other book ever wrought so power- 
fully for the enfranchisement of the race as has the Bible. No 
people can be permanently enslaved who are familiar with its 
pages and animated by its spirit. The Bible is the great char- 
ter of human liberty. The enemies of freedom hate the Bible. 

Q. What is the guarantee of our liberties? 

A. The Constitution of the United States. 

Q. What is meant by our institutions? 

A. The free-school system is one. 

Q. What is the symbol of popular education? 

A. The Httle red school-house. 

Q. Why do patriots love the public schools? 

A. Because they have done so much to make the people in- 
telligent, prosperous and happy. The public schools are the 
people's schools; the people pay for them; the people elect 
the trustees that manage them ; the people furnish the teachers 
for them from their own sons and daughters. The schools are 
dear to patriots because they treat all the children alike ; they 
make no distinctions. A poor man's child has the same chance 
as a rich man's child ; the child of a foreigner is treated just the 
same as the child of a native American ; a Christian has no ad- 
vantage over a Jew, and a Roman Catholic receives the same 
care as a Protestant. The school system is the great agency 
for making a homogeneous nation out of such diverse elements 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 479 

as come to this country. Still further, the public schools teach 
all the pupils that they are to be neighbors and friends.; that 
they are to respect, honor and love each other ; that they must 
all love their country, be true to the flag, and faithful in the per- 
formance of the duties of citizenship. 

Q. Could the Republic continue to exist if there were no 
public schools? 

A. No. Free schools train their pupils for freedom. If 
there were no free schools freedom would perish. Provision 
should be made in the public schools for all children of school 
age, not otherwise provided for, and education in the English 
language should be compulsory. 

Q. What is meant by freedom? 

A. By freedom is meant the full opportunity of every indi- 
vidual to enjoy all the rights and privileges that are accorded 
to the most highly favored. 

Q. Does this mean that men are created equal? — that there 
should be no caste? That the common people are to govern 
themselves? 

A. Yes. It means also freedom of thought, freedom of 
speech, freedom of the press, freedom of conscience, freedom 
of worship, freedom of the ballot. 

Q. Do not all people desire to have this delightful freedom? 

A. Yes. Everybody wants it for himself, but not everybody 
iii willing that other people should have it. 

Q. Why does not everybody wish everybody else to be as 
free as themselves ? 

A. Well, some people think that popular freedom is danger- 
ous; that the common people, as they call them, are unfitted 
for freedom ; that they need somebody else to tell them how to 
think, what to believe, what to say, what they may read, and 
how they must worship, and who they must vote for; and 
these people think they themselves have a divine right to do all 
this for other people. 

Q. Are such people true patriots? 

A. Not in the American sense of that word. This is a re- 
public; a democracy; a people's government; a no-class coun- 
try; a land of liberty. True patriots believe in the people; 



4^o ThU D^VlL IN tun CHURCH: 

have fciith in popular liberty and love the institutions of free- 
dom. 

Q. Are there many people in America who are not truly 
American ? 

A. Yes. There are a great many and they seem to be in- 
creasing in number. 

Q. Do they dislike our institutions? ' 

A. They seem to. 

Q. Why? 

A. Because their theory of government is radically at vari- 
ance with our constitution. They believe in a centralized gov- 
ernment, and not in a popular government. They do not have 
faith in the people. "The spirit of centralization, the excesses 
of which are as fatal to vigorous life in the church as in the 
state, seems now nearly to have reached the last and furthest 
point of possible advancement and exaltation." — (Gladstone.) 

Q. Do they not believe in freedom at all ? 

A. Apparently not. They bitterly denounce freedom of 
thought, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of 
conscience, freedom of worship, and free education. 

Q. Why do they hate our free public schools ? 

A. Because they are afraid of the influence of them. 

Q. How have they shown their dislike of the public schools ? 

A. By driving the Bible out of them and then denouncing 
them as ''godless," and "hot-beds of corruption;" by withdraw- 
ing their children from them, and threatening to punish those 
who should patronize them; by attempting tO' divide the pub- 
lic-school money, and thus destroy the system; by trying to- 
substitute for public schools, parochial schools supported at 
public expense; by aiming to secure the controlling influence 
in school boards, so as to employ such teachers and secure such 
changes in the course of study and discipline as will make the 
schools acceptable to them. 

Q. Is this a serious menace to the American public-school 
system? 

A. Yes. It threatens its destruction if its friends do not 
rally to its protection. 

Q. What other great principle is at stake? 



'" HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSED. 481 

A. The separation of church and state. 

Q. How is that imperilled? 

A. The Roman Catholic hierarchy, i. e., the priests, bishops 
and archbishops, are using their influence to control elections 
in their own interest. The patriotic people of the United States 
object to the Roman Catholic church using its vast power as a 
political machine. 

Q. Is the Roman Catholic church a political organization? 

A. Yes; emphatically. "Popery is a double thing to deal 
with and claims a twofold power, ecclesiastical and political." 
(John Milton.) ''The Rome of the Middle Ages claimed uni- 
versal monarchy. The modern Church of Rome has abandon- 
ed nothing, retracted nothing" (Gladstone). "Why should the 
holy father touch any matter in politics at all? For this plain 
reason, because politics are a part of morals. PoHtics are 
morals on the widest scale" (Cardinal Manning). "All Cath- 
oHcs must make themselves felt as active elements in daily 
political life in countries where they live. All Catholics should 
exert their power to cause the constitutions of states to be 
modeled on the principles of the church" (Leo XIII). 

Q. Does the Roman Catholic church use its power for poli- 
tical purposes? 

A. Yes ; in local, state and national elections. "There is no 
organization in the world better fitted than that of the Roman 
Catholic church for secretly organizing and carrying out a 
great political conspiracy" (F. Marion Crawford). 

Q. Does the growing power of this alien body threaten to 
mar our Constitution and destroy our liberties? 

A. Yes. "Every true Catholic is bound to think and act as 
his priest tells him, and a Republic of true Catholics becomes a 
theocracy administered by the clergy. It is only as long as they 
are a small minority that they can be loyal subjects under such 
a Constitution as the American. As their numbers grow, they 
will assert their principles more and more. Give them the 
power, and the Constitution will be gone. A Catholic ma- 
jority, under spiritual direction, will forbid liberty of worship, 
and will try to forbid liberty of conscience. It will control 
education ; it will put the press under surveillance ; it will 



482 THB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

punish opposition with excommunication, and excommunica- 
tion win be attended with civil disabihties" (the EngHsh his- 
torian, James Anthony Froude). 

Q. Where are the danger points? 

A. Our great cities, where population is congested; where 
foreigners congregate ; where idleness, drunkenness and pov- 
erty are rife ; where patronage and spoils abound ; where greed 
of office is a mania; where crime is easily concealed; where 
demagogy thrives and bossism triumphs. These so-called cen- 
tres of civilization, which are in fact the weak points in the 
Republic, have been deliberately seized upon by the cunning 
craft of those who aim to grasp the reins of universal power. 
These enemies of liberty have already strongly intrenched 
themselves in New York, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, San 
Francisco and elsewhere, and seek from these centres of in- 
fluence to rule the entire country and reduce it to absolute sub- 
jection to their theory of despotism. 

Q. What is bigotry? 

A. -Webster says, ''A bigot is a person who regards his own 
faith and views in matters of religion as unquestionably right." 

Q. What is the teaching of the Roman Catholic church on 
this? 

/ A. The Roman Catholic church teaches that the Pope is in- 
fallible, and that the Roman Catholic church is the only true 
church. 

Q. Is not this bigotry? 

A. Yes, Roman Catholicism is organized bigotry ; the Pope 
is the prince of bigots, and all his followers are bigots. 

Q. Do patriots oppose the Roman Catholic religion? 

A. No. What they object to most strenuously is the persist- 
ent effort of the Roman Catholic hierarchy to acquire for their 
church an unwarranted influence in the army, in the govern- 
ment departments at W^ashington, in appointments to federal 
offices, in congressional legislation, in the control of the public 
press, in the administration of state and municipal affairs, in 
public patronage of all kinds, and in the acquisition of wealth 
and power by any and all means. They are willing that the. 
p.gfnan Catholics as. citizens shall have eill that their numbevi 



HIS SBCRHT WORKS EXPOSED. 483 

and merits entitle them to, and no more. They do object tQ 
an alien, un-American despotism boasting itself to be a ''sover- 
eign State," a ''perfect and supreme society," with its infallible 
head, its system of independent law, claiming to be superior 
to the state, thrusting itself as a political power into American 
life and attempting to dictate to people and to parties what their 
laws, their institutions and their policies shall be. The Ameri- 
can principle is equal rights to all citizens, as citizens. No 
priestly interference in politics. 

Q. What is the duty of American patriots now? Shall they 
attack the Roman Catholic religion? 

A. No ; they should attack no man's religion ; they are not 

persecutors, but they should band together for the protection 

of American institutions. They are not the aggressors. 

Their cherished institutions are vigorously assailed and they 

.should resolutely defend them. 

Q. What can they do? 

A. They can declare their purpose to protect their institu- 
tions at all hazards, to correct abuses, to elect to office only 
patriots, and they can refuse to elect any man who is not at 
heart an American — a liberty-lover. 

Q. Who should rule America? 

A. Only those who honor the flag and love civil and religious 
Jiberty. 

Q. Why should only those who are true Americans at heart 
rule America? 

A. Because only those who love liberty can safely be trusted 
to cherish the institutions of liberty. A good shepherd would 
not set a wolf to tend his sheep. The overthrow of freedom 
in America would be an inexpressible calamity to the human 
race and the cause of civilization. 

Q. Can our liberties be taken from us? 

A. Not if patriots awake and do their duty. 

Q. Will patriots come to the defence of our imperilled insti- 
tutions ? 

A. Yes; they will. Already they are waking; they are 
realizing the danger ; they are forgetting minor differences pf 



484 THB DEVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

political opinion and religious creed, and are combining for 
united action in the protection of American institutions. 

O. What is the common platform of patriots? 

A. I. The protection of our American free public school 
system. 

2. The absolute separation of church and state. 

3. No public moneys for sectarian institutions. 

4. More rigid restriction for immigration. 

5. The reform of our naturalization laws. 

6. The purity and freedom of the ballot. 
Q, What is their motto? 

A. '^America for Americans." 

THE BIBLE MUST STAY IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The Western Presbyterian, Minneapolis, Minn., says in its 
issue of July 17, 1902: 

''The large convention of educators which was in our city 
last week heard some very weight}^ words from President But- 
ler of Columbia University, regarding the elimination of the 
Bible from our public schools. Coming from such an author- 
ity in educational matters we cannot do better than quote them. 
'The lack of the Bible, if not remedied, will surely lead to dis- 
tressing consequences. To eliminate it from our school 
courses is to strike out the element of knowledge which reveals 
the inner beauties of all the literature since the fall of the West- 
ern Roman Empire. We are on the part of impoverishing our 
life and literature and are facing an exceedingly dangerous 
state of morals and affairs when we lack proper understanding 
of the Christianity which is at the very basis of all the history 
since the fall of Rome, and the very foundation of our Ameri- 
can liberty and progress. I realize that there exist sharp dif- 
ferences of opinion, but facing them boldly, I plead with all my 
might that the Bible be given its place in the schools, not as an 
agency of religious training or dissemination of theology, but 
purely and solely as the greatest of the great masterpieces of 
literature; the fountain spring from which the authors of the 
best it! our English literature have drawn their inspiration..'* 
These sentiments expressed by Dr, Butler seemed to find a re~ 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 485 

sponse in the convention as the following resolutions were 
adopted : 'We regard true education as inseparable from mo- 
rality, and believe the public school the recognized agency to 
make this relation binding. We urge public school authorities 
of the country, teachers and parents to give strict attention to 
moral instruction in our schools as the true foundation of char- 
acter and citizenship. It is apparent that familiarity with the 
English Bible as a masterpiece of literature is rapidly decreas- 
ing among the pupils in our schools. This is the direct re- 
sult of a conception which regards the Bible as a theological 
book merely, and thereby leads to its exclusion from the 
schools of some states as a subject of reading and study. We 
hope and ask for such a change of public sentiment in this re- 
gard as will permit and encourage the English Bible, now hon- 
ored by name in many school laws and state constitutions, to 
be read and studied as a literary work of the highest and purest 
type.' We commend these words to those boards of education 
which have been so swayed by a perverted pubHc sentiment 
which has been assiduously cultivated by agnostics and the 
Catholic church, as to consider the exclusion of the Bible from 
the public schools a mark of breadth of view. Why are the 
morals of the Anglo-Saxon race superior to those of Rome and 
other empires whose downfall resulted from moral rottenness? 
The Bible stands as the only adequate answer. And we are 
guilty of removing from our public education the only Book 
which lays the adequate foundation for the morals of a nation 
or individual because different people entertain different views 
as to its teachings on certain doctrinal points. We deny the 
testimony of history as to its educational and moral value to 
satisfy the demands of a few^ who have absolutely no substitute 
to offer for that which they take away. They are public ene- 
mies who rob our educational system of that Book which has 
done more than all other agencies to disseminate moral and in- 
tellectual enlightenment." 

CATHOLIC MISCHIEF MAKERS. 

There seems to be a purpose on the part of the Catholic 
press to inflame the minds of the ignorant masses of Catholi- 




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HIS SBCRBT WORKS EXPOSBl). ' 487 

cism against the educational policy of the United States in the 
Philippines. Their latest claim is that most, or at least many, 
of the teachers sent over there are bigoted Protestant clergy- 
men, that they teach Protestantism in the schools and either 
ignore or abuse Catholicism. This has been denied repeatedly 
both in general terms and especially by the local Catholic 
priests in this country who knew the teachers against whom 
the charges are made, but the Catholic journals ignore the de- 
nials and repeat the charges. The purpose of these journals 
can only be to stir up religious sectarian animosity among their 
unreasoning readers, and that would be a most deplorable 
thing. The religious question in the Philippines is a difficult 
one, but our government is dealing with it impartially, so far as 
sects are concerned, in accordance with its constitutional and 
traditional policy, and it would be more creditable and more 
patriotic in the Catholic press to uphold that policy than wil- 
fully misrepresent it. — The Morning Star (Boston), July 17, 
1902. 

DIGGING THE GRAVE OF PROTESTANTISM. 

T. B. Minahan, of Columbus, O., president of the American 
Federation of Catholic Societies, said in a public address in 
Chicago, June 29, 1902: "Infidelity, agnosticism or absolute in- 
difference is digging the grave of Protestantism in the United 
States." 

What about Spain, Portugal and some other Catholic coun- 
tries where their own people are mobbing the clergy and the 
Catholic orders? The Protestant nations. Great Britain, Ger- 
many, the United States, Norwa)', Sweden, etc., seem to be 
in a more healthy condition and to have less agnosticism, in- 
fidelity and anarchism than Catholic countries. 

A CATHOLIC PRIEST ACKNOWLEDGES THE DECAY OF HIS 

CHURCH. 

In a sermon preached by Rev. Father Slattery at St. Francis 
Xavier's Church, Baltimore, June 22, 1902, in which he pleads 
for the negroes, this priest acknowledges that millions of mem- 



488 'the DBVIL IN THB CHURCH: 

bers have left the CathoHc Church in America, and that the 
friars have caused the troubles in the PhiHppines. 

Here are some of the expressions used by Father Slattery in 
that discourse, which are quoted verbatim from his own manu- 
script : 

*'I am absolutely convinced that the CathoHc Church will 
make little progress in converting the negroes of our South- 
land unless she succeeds in getting a large body of colored 
priests. Bear well in mind that the ministry of the Catholic 
priesthood in this country is devoted to the emigrant whites of 
Europe. Now, it is no exaggeration to say that they do not 
hold their own. The leakage among white Catholics during 
the lifetime of the American republic has been enormous — mil- 
lions and millions have dropped away. Leo XIII, the head of 
Catholicism, is one in word and deed with the United States in 
requiring the deportation of the friars from the Philippines. 
And the reason why Pope and President are in harmony is be- 
cause the Filipinos will have none of the friars, who to their 
own shame refused the natives membership to any of their 
orders. Indeed the uprising against Spanish rule in the Pacific 
archipelago was much more against the friars. Now Rome 
by her acts ratifies the revolt." 

Father Slattery then referred to the unfair treatment of the 
negro by politicians of both parties, and added : 

''As far as the fundamental principle goes the Catholic 
Church recognizes no race. But alas, the spirit of the political 
party inimical to the negro, to which for good or ill the bulk 
of the Catholic Church belongs, dominates many Catholic 
priests. The second and third plenary councils of Baltimore 
made eloquent appeals in behalf of the negro, but not ope of 
our Catholic religious orders responded. No matter what 
Catholicism ought to do, and may have done in the past, the 
fact is as clear as the noonday sun that many Catholics are pre- 
judiced against the negro." 

Father Slattery took up the question of morality between 
priests, as compared with the negro, and gave voice to these 
sentiments : 

''Now the common objection to negro priests is on the score 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED, 489 

of morality. We do not think the whites can afford to throw 
stones at the blacks on this point. Mulattos, quadroons and 
such folk do not drop from the skies. If the stand which is 
alleged is necessary to take nowadays — viz., deny orders to the 
blacks because there is danger of some among them falling 
away — if that stand had been taken in the Tenth, Eleventh, 
Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth centuries 
Catholicism would have been dead before Luther's time." 

THE CONFESSION OF A ROMAN CATHOLIC FRIAR. 

It was on one of the great Atlantic Hners. The year of 
grace the present ; the time, the month of July. The floating 
hostelry was well filled with travelers :,and tourists on pleasure 
bent — the ship's company, the usual heterogeneous one, repre- 
senting almost all nationalities, creeds, and social conditions, — 
the social scale running all the way from the devout clergyman 
down to the frisky skirt-dancer of the vaudeville. 

Among the passengers were a number of relegieuse, both 
male and female, on their way to Rome, and as is usually the 
case, while those of the sterner sex were berthed in the first 
cabin, the weaker ones. Sisters they are called, were relegated 
to the second cabin with its cheerless and confined accommo- 
dations, while the former enjoyed the cuisine, comforts and 
luxury of the chief part of the vessel, and when not mumbling 
their prayers or eating, spent the day in sampling the liquid 
refreshments dispensed for a consideration in the smoking 
room. 

There was, however, one exception among their number, 
who kept aloof from his clerical brethren, refraining from any 
invitations to enter the smoking room and its allurements, and 
during the trip was not known to either drink liquor or play 
cards. With most of the passengers he seemed to inspire re- 
spect, where as the others were passed unnoticed, or after their 
exit from the smoking room, in disgust. 

It is about this man that the present incident centers. Dur- 
ing the evening, conversation on deck drifted about the Philip- 
pines and the conditions there — mainly as to the status of the 
Friars — and the outcome of Taft's negotiations with the Papal 



490 THE DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

authorities, where upon this clerical explained the status of the 
Friars from his standpoint, and the difference between^ the 
regular and secular clergy of the Roman Church, the govern- 
ment by the hierarchy and the Church discipline, etc. 

Here a Philadelphia lawyer, who, by the way, was a Lutheran, 
and a Unitarian from Massachusetts, took a hand in the discus- 
sion. In the hands of the lawyer the priest was soon in deep 
water. He however, boldly maintained the ground that the 
rulings of his superiors could never be wrong. Even if in his 
own conscience he differed, it must invariably fbe that his judg- 
ment was wrong, and he must be in error even if his argument 
was sustained by the Bible. The rules of the Church could 
never be wrong, but the Bible might be and often is. 

At this point the writer requested the privilege of asking a 
question, to be answered in candor if at all, viz : 

^'Suppose an angel were to come down from high heaven 
and tell you that the fathers of the Church were in error, would 
that convince you? Whom would you believe, the angel or 
your superiors in Rome?" 

His answer was: "Undoubtedly the Church. This cannot 
be wrong, as St. Paul states, 'If an angel come down from 
heaven and tell you different from what we preach beheve him 
not.'" [Sic] 

Whereupon the question was put to him : 

''If St. Paul himself were to appear in lieu of the angel, would 
you then be convinced that the propoganda were in error?" 

Answer : "No, never, under no circumstances can the fathers 
of the Catholic Church ever be wrong." 

This was followed by the query : 

"If the Lord Jesus Christ should re-appear upon earth and 
diff'er from the tenets of the Church as you promulgate, accept 
and teach them, would that convince you?" 

Answer: "Not upon this earth. If he would rule contrary 
to the Church, Pie would be in error. However, after we are 
in heaven, then we should have to accept His decisions as He 
would then be above His earthly vicar." Traveler. 

From "The lyutheran," Phila., Aug. 7, 1902. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 491 

A DEAD CHRIST. 

Rev. James A. O'Connor, the ex-Roman Catholic priest, 
pastor of Christ's Mission and editor of the "Converted Cath- 
oHc," in a recent sermon said : 

''In the Roman Church the Saviour is represented in a cru- 
cifix as a dead Christ, who, like all inanimate objects, has no 
power. Catholics have good reason to say with Mary at the 
sepulcher. 'They have taken away my Lord, and I know not 
where they have laid Him.' In that Church Christ is kept in 
the background, and the Virgin Mary and the saints and Pope 
and priests are put forward as mediators, intercessors and 
agents between God and man. But God will not give His 
glory to another. There is only one Mediator between God 
and man — Jesus Christ, and He is the intercessor for all who 
believe in Him. Through Him and by Him alone we are re- 
conciled to God — 'the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin.' 
He is our surety, our peace, and by Him we obtain a rightful 
place in our Father's house. By our faith in Christ we are 
justified, we are pardoned, for He died to save sinners, and the 
peace of God is established between Him and us. 

''This the priests of Rome could not do for the people, and in 
consequence neither priests nor people have any certainty that 
they are Christians. 

"When I learned these truths I threw aside all other ambi- 
tion in life but to make known the way of salvation through 
Christ alone, to preach the Gospel and lead souls to the cross, 
where they would find the power of God and not a dead Christ. 
By patient labor, by the spoken word and the printed page, we 
have been able to reach many Catholics and even priests who 
have come out of the Church of Rome and taken their stand 
on the Lord's side with other Christians of all denominations. 
There is not a Protestant Church in New York where con- 
verted Catholics are not found, and this is true of all our large 
cities. Even here in Allentown I find former Catholics in many 
churches." 



492 TUB DBVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

POISON TO CATHOLICISM. 

A Vatican organ declares that the public schools in the 
United States are "extremely unsatisfactory" to the Pope. 
To their very nature they are as poison to Catholicism. The 
celebration of Washington's birthday and the Fourth of July 
develop patriotism, and patriotism is anti-Catholic. 

THE POWER OF PRIESTS OVER WOMANKIND. 

The priests in France have ordered the women and children 
to fight the soldiers who are closing the nuns' schools — the 
French men being very generally with the government. The 
priests order the women to throw themselves down before the 
horses of the soldiers, to stop their progress. Great is the 
power of the confessional over womankind ! 

WHAT PROTESTANTS SHALL FEAR. ^ 

The Protestant who is alarmed at the growth of Roman 
Catholicism in America may safely quiet his fears. He is sim- 
ply dazzled by the outward show of strength which Romanism 
makes. For, by the side of these fears and laments, comes a 
loud wail from many Catholics that their Church is losing much 
of its best American blood and is reinforced chiefly by immi- 
grants from abroad. Protestantism has more to fear from 
rationalism, individuahsm, and secularism than from Romanism. 

VERY MUCH MIXED. 

''The plot thickens." As it now stands it is as follows : 

The friars in the Philippines stole an immense amount of 
property from the natives. 

This became church property, and as church and state are 
one under Spanish law, the property belonged to Spain. 

The United States captured the Philippines from Spain*; so 
this property belonged to Uncle Sam. 

Uncle Sam, having more money than he knew what to do 
with, paid Spain twenty million dollars for property already 
captured. So it was ours again. 

Then, to make sure, for a third time, we offered the Pope 




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BEATING A MAN IN PRISON. 
Priests took great delight in being eyewitnesses to these tortures. 



494 



THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 



about seven million dollars for church property already cap- 
tured and paid for. 

Now we find that this property for which we offer about 
seven millions had been previously sold by the friars to New 
York syndicates. 

Thus to acquire a perfect title — we must get a quit-claim 
from the people from whom the property was stolen, from the 
friars, from the Pope, and from the New York syndicates — 
while Spain makes the claim that she never sold the church 
property which she owned in the Philippines. 

THE PAPAL HOWL— "LET US ALONE!" 

[The Romish Bishops and priests are setting up a fearful howl over the 
attitude of self-defence taken by patriotic Americans. They forget that the 
first stone was cast by "The Old Cove" in the Vatican, and that Uncle Sam 
is simply protecting the property.] 

As vonce I valked by a dismal swamp, 
There sot an Old Cove in the dark and damp. 
And at everybody as passed that road 
A stick or a stone this Old Cove throwed; 
And venever he flung his stick or his stone. 
He'd set up a song of "Let me alone." 

"Let me alone, for I loves to shy 

These bits of things at the passers-by ; 

Let me alone, for I've got your tin. 

And lots of other traps snugly in; 

Let me alone, — I am rigging a boat 

To grab votever you've got afloat; 

In a veek or so I expects to come 

And turn you out of your 'ouse and 'ome ; 

I'm a quiet Old Cove," says he, with a groan ; 

"All I axes is, Let me alone." 

[Enter Uncle Sam.] 
Just then came along, on the self-same vay, 
Another Old Cove and began for to say, — 
"Let you alone! That's comin' it strong! 
You've ben let alone — a darned site too long! 
Of all the sarce that ever I heerd ! 
Put down that stick! (You may well look skeered.) 
Let go that stone ! If you once show fight, 
I'll knock you higher than any kite. 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. . 495 

You must have a lesson to stop your tricks, 
And cure you of shying them stones and sticks; 
And I'll have my hardware back, and my cash. 
And knock your scow into tarnal smash ; 
And if ever I catches you round my ranch, 
I'll string you up to the nearest branch. 
The best you can do is to go to bed. 
And keep a decent tongue in your head ; 
For I reckon, before you and I are done, 
"You'll wish you had let honest folks alone." 

The Old Cove stopped, and t'other Old Cove, 
He sot quite still in his cypress grove, 
And he looked at his stick, revolvin' slow, 
Vether 't were safe to shy it, or no ; 
And he grumbled on, in an injured tone, 
"All that I axed vos. Let me alone." 

I WISH I WAS A rOREIGNER. 

I wish I was a foreigner. I really, really do. 

A right-down foreign foreigner, pure foreigner through and through ; 

Because I find Americans, with all of native worth. 

Don't stand one-half the chances here with men of foreign birth. 

It seems to be unpopular for us to hold a place. 
For we are made to give it up to men of foreign race. 
The question of necessity and fitness we possess 
Must never be considered — who cares for our distress? 

Perhaps it is not wicked to be of native birth 

Or to utter a mild protest when an alien wants the earth ; 

But the latest importation is sure to strike a job. 

And be the sooner qualified to lead and strike a mob. 

A Dutchman or an Irishman, a Frenchman or a Turk, 
Comes here to be a voter, and is always given work; 
A native-born American is here, and here must stay; 
So it matters little how he lives, he cannot get away. 

The Spaniard and Bohemian, the Russian and the Pole, 

Are looking toward America with longings in the soul, 

Because the politicians will receive with open arms. 

And the goddess of our freedom bid them welcome to her charms 



496 THB DEVIL IN THU CHURCH: 

But the law-abiding Chinaman from the celestial shore, 
Because he has no franchise, is driven from our door; 
Americans and Chinamen are not in much dem9.nd, 
The one remains neglected while the other's barred the land. 

So I wish I was an Irishman, or some other foreign cuss, 
I'd lord it o'er the natives — who don't dare make a fuss. 
But my blushes tell the story, I am native to the soil; 
So the aliens hold the places — visitors must never toil. 

THE EAGLE SCREAMS. 

I am the American Eagle, 

And my wings flap together. 

Likewise, I roost high. 

And I eat bananas raw. 

Rome may sit on her 

Seven hills and howl. 

But she cannot 

Sit on Me! 

Will she please put that 

In her organ and grind it? 

I am mostly a bird of peace, 

And I was born without teeth. 

But I've got talons 

That reach from the storm- 

Beaten coasts of the Atlantic 

To the golden shores of the 

Placid Pacific, 

And I use the Rocky Mountains 

As whetstones to sharpen them on, 

I never cackle till I 

Lay an tgg; 

And I point with pride 

To the eggs I've laid 

In the last hundred years or so. 

I'm game from 

The point of my beak 

To the star spangled tip 

Of my tail feathers, 

And when I begin 

To scratch gravel, 

Mind your eyes ! 

I'm the Cock of the Walk, 

And the Henbird of the 

Goddess of Liberty, 



HIS SECRET WORKS EXPOSED. 497 

The only gallinaceous 

E pluribus unum 

On record. 

I'm an eagle from Eagleville, 

With a scream on me that makes 

Thunder sound like 

Dropping cotton 

On a still morning. 

And my present address is 

Hail Columbia, 

U. S. A. ! ! 

See! 

— The Sun. 

VOTE AS YOU'VE BEEN PRAYING. 

Josiah, put your slippers on, 

And cease your needless chatter; 
I want to have a word with you 

About a little matter. 

I heard you on your knees, last night, 

Ask help to keep from strajnng; 
And now I want to know if you 

Will vote as you've been praying? 

You've prayed as long as any man, 

While with the tide a floating, 
Josiah, you must stop sich work, 

And do some better voting ! 

We all must pray for better times. 

And work right hard to make them ; 
You vote for Jesuits with their crimes. 

And we just have to take them. 

How long, Josiah, must this be? 

We Avork and pray 'gainst evil ; 
You pray all right, for what I see. 

But vote just for the devil! 

There, now ! I've said my say, and you 

Just cease your idle praying, 
And vote for patriotic men. 

Now mind, Jos, what I'm saying ! 







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THB DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 499 

THE POPE'S PLAN. 

One morning in the Vatican, 

The wily Pope set down to plan 

How for himself he could obtain 

The power he long had sought in vain. 

A ruling sovereign he would be 

O'er every land, from sea to sea ; 

And every nation here below 

Should bend to kiss his holy toe. 

In Italy 'twas very plain 

That papal power was on the wane. 

Victor Emanuel, years ago, 

Had sought this power to overthrow, 

And Garibaldi, as his aid, 

The standard of the state displayed. 

And undermined the corner-stone 

Which long sustained the papal throne. 

He now must seek some other field 

And there his iron sceptre wield. 

To Germany and France and Spain 

He turned his thoughts, but all in vain ; 

For though he might in some of these 

Make his abode, — he did not please. 

He craved an empire all his own. 

Subject to him and him alone. 

He thought of England then, but no. 

He could not rule the Britons so ; 

They long ago with scorn and pride 

Had thrown the papal yoke aside, 

And like their sires in years of yore 

Would be controlled by Rome no more. 

The Pope looked puzzled. "Ah," thought he, 

"Where shall my glorious kingdom be?" 

At last the puzzled look gave place; 

A smile came o'er the pontiff's face, — 

A wicked smile of selfish pride ; 

And springing to his feet, he cried : — 

"Wiser than all the saints I am, — 

I will make friends with Uncle Sam ! 

He is so blind he'd never see 

That he was being duped by me; 

And I might capture all his land 

Before he'd ever understand. 

And my adherents there shall go, 

His power they soon shall overthrow ; 



500 THE DEVIL IN THE CHURCH: 

They first shall disregard his rules 

By knocking down the common schools. 

They shall get money from his till, 

And all the offices shall fill. 

And when in numbers much increased, 

Then from the greatest to the least 

They all shall vote as I declare; 

And I will have my kingdom there. 

It shall extend the country o'er 

And Uncle Sam shall be no more." 

And thus the Pope laid out his plan 

That morning in the Vatican. 

Oh, Pope of Rome ! Do you not know 

That there's a God above — below? 

And though you plan and scheme and curse. 

He still controls the universe. 

Take heed, then, how you lift your hand 

To thus destroy a Christian land, 

For you will find it no delight 

Against the Lord of Hosts to fight. 

J. Q. Humphrey 



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